Yasir Shah hails Pakistan mentors

LONDON — Yasir Shah said he was grateful for the wealth of leg-spin knowledge in the Pakistan camp after his maiden 10-wicket Test haul set up victory over England at Lord’s. Shah’s return of 10 for 141, including Sunday’s second-innings figures of four for 69, was pivotal to Pakistan’s 75-run win over England in the first of a four-Test series at Lord’s Sunday. Significantly, the 30-year-old leg-spinner bowled Jonny Bairstow for 48 as he ended the England anchorman’s more than three hours of resistance. Bairstow’s exit proved the telling blow, with England losing its last four wickets for 12 runs as it was dismissed for 207 in pursuit of a victory target of 283. Remarkably, this was Shah’s first Test outside of Asia and the United Arab Emirates. But in bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed and tour manager Intikhab Alam, both former Pakistan leg-spinners, he had plenty of experience to call upon. As well as playing Tests in England, the pair also enjoyed county careers, with the 74-year-old Alam representing Surrey for several seasons, while Ahmed enjoyed spells at Somerset, Sussex and Surrey. On Sunday, Shah was dismissed for his overnight Test-best 30, but then quickly set about building on his six for 72 from England’s first innings. “My effort was to do well with bat, but I could not, so I tried to do it with the ball later on,” he said. “The thing is the spinner is relied upon on the fourth and fifth day. “I am fortunate that Mushy is here and Intikhab Alam is our manager. They share their experiences and we execute that on the ground.” Meanwhile, victorious captain Misbahul Haq praised his team’s resilience. “I am really proud of the team, the way that they fought and just come out and show really good skills and mentally everyone was strong. It was a really good win for us,” he said. “It has been a remarkable turnaround after the 2010 incident and the team took responsibility,” said the 42-year-old Misbah, who in making 114 out of Pakistan’s first innings 339 became the oldest player to compile a Test century in 82 years. Yasir tops ICC rankings Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has knocked England’s James Anderson off the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings in the aftermath of his match-winning heroics at Lord’s. Yasir’s maiden 10-wicket haul in the first Test against England helped Pakistan secure a 75-run win and made him the first Pakistani to top the table since his fellow leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed 20 years ago. The 30-year-old climbs from No. 4 to the top of the ICC bowlers’ rankings following his 10 for 141 figures against England, which included Sunday’s second-innings figures of four for 69. Anderson is expected to be back in the England squad for the second Test on his home ground at Old Trafford this week. Yasir joins Lord’s spin greats Yasir Shah took 10 wickets in a Test for the first time in his career as the leg-spinner bowled Pakistan to a 75-run win over England at Lord’s Sunday. The 30-year-old Shah, who earlier this year served a three-month drugs ban after saying he had taken his wife’s blood pressure medication instead of his own, now has a brilliant Test record. In just 13 matches, he has taken 86 wickets at an average of just 23 apiece. His second-innings haul of four for 69 gave man-of-the-match Shah an overall return for this Test of 10 for 141. That made him the first spinner to take 10 wickets in a Lord’s Test since England’s Derek Underwood in 1974 and just the sixth in all. Below is the select group Shah has now joined. Spinners taking 10 wickets in a Test at Lord’s (player, country, overs, wickets, runs, opposition, year): Johnny Briggs (ENG) 11-74 v AUS 1886; Hedley Verity (ENG) 15-104 v AUS 1934; Sonny Ramadhin (WIS) 11-152 v ENG 1950; Roy Tattersall (ENG) 12-101 v RSA 1951; Derek Underwood (ENG) 11-70 v NZL 1969; Derek Underwood (ENG) 13-71 v PAK 1974; Yasir Shah (PAK) 10-141 v ENG 2016. Khan salutes Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan says his country’s stunning victory over England in the Lord’s Test has restored the team’s tarnished reputation. It was a cathartic triumph for Pakistan, who were playing their first Test at Lord’s since the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal. “The Lord’s win is important in many ways and the most significant is that the image of our cricket is restored in more than one way at the venue where it was dented six years ago,” Khan said. “The team played as a unit and Misbah led it in an exemplary manner while the new team management did a great job. “The best part was the support from Pakistan fans. The whole country is rejoicing.”