Saeed Ajmal Says Yasir Shah Is Irreplaceable In Pakistan's Test Team
Yasir Shah. (Credits: Twitter)

Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has hailed his fellow countryman Yasir Shah, claiming the national team has yet to find his replacement. Yasir Shah has headlined Pakistan’s spin-bowling unit and has been a frequent fixture in the Test team since debuting in 2014. Saeed Ajmal questioned the management’s decision to leave him out in the recent series in Zimbabwe.

Yasir Shah had a fairly successful home series against South Africa as he took eight wickets in two Tests at 30.38. With chief selector Wasim Khan revealing that Yasir Shah had an injury, he selected Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Nawaz, and Agha Salman as the spin-bowlers in the squad. Nauman Ali starred with the ball as he took eight scalps in two Tests in a winning effort, including a fifer in the second Test and continued his good form against the Proteas at home.

Saeed Ajmal Says Yasir Shah Is Irreplaceable In Pakistan's Test Team
Saeed Ajmal. (Credits: Twitter)

Saeed Ajmal acknowledged that no Test player has been able to replace Yasir Shah, who has 235 wickets in 45 Tests at 30.83. The former off-break bowler said that even though Shah is 35 years old, he has a few years of cricket left in him as he is a top performer does not deserve to be dropped. Ajmal reminded Babar Azam’s and Azhar Ali’s words, stating that since Pakistan play only five or six Tests a year, he sees no point in resting the veteran leggie for three of them.

“No one has been able to replace Yasir Shah in Test cricket till now. I think Yasir Shah still has two or three years of cricket left in him. He should play if he is fit. He is your top performer in Test cricket and you can’t drop him like that. Babar Azam and Azhar Ali also said that we play only five or six Tests in a year, so how can we afford to give chances to new players as we already have a separate set of Test players. If there are only six Tests in a year and you rest Yasir for three of them, then what will he do?” Ajmal told Cricket Pakistan.

Saeed Ajmal says Nauman Ali’s abilities are too early to be judged:

Saeed Ajmal Says Yasir Shah Is Irreplaceable In Pakistan's Test Team
Nauman Ali. (Credits: Twitter)

Saeed Ajmal further claimed that Nauman Ali will undergo his real Test when bowling in Australia, England, and New Zealand as he will require to give the ball a loop to generate spin. The 43-year old revealed that Ali bowls with more pace, which is beneficial while bowling in Asia; however, he will have to spin the ball more outside Asia.

“We will find out about Nauman Ali’s ability when he will bowl against a top team. It is different ball game to bowl in Australia, England and New Zealand as compared to Pakistan. Nauman bowls with a little more pace and he will be successful in Asian conditions. You can’t be successful by bowling with flight in Asia, so you need to bowl with more pace as a spinner. Whereas, in Australia or England, you need to give loop to the ball in order to generate spin. Nauman bowls wicket to wicket and doesn’t generate a lot of spin. So, he needs to work on that,” he added.

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