Pakistan vs New Zealand 2018: Yasir Shah Becomes the Fastest Bowler to Scale 200 Wickets

Pakistan Cricket team leg-spinner Yasir Shah broke an 82-year-old as he became the fastest bowler to scale 200 Test wickets during the third Test against New Zealand at Abu Dhabi. With the dismissal of William Somerville on day four, Shah completed the landmark figure.

Meanwhile, Shah broke pre-World War record set by Australian Clarrie Grimmett in 1936 by taking only 33 Tests to reach the landmark. Grimmett, on the other hand, had reached the figures in his 36th Test. Previously, India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also had a similar opportunity to create the record in 2016. But the bowler fell short by one Test, reaching the milestone in his 37th Test.

Former Australia pacer Denis Lille and Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis achieved the feat in 38 Tests. While South Africa’s Dale Steyn reached the milestone in 39 Tests to complete the list of top five.

Yasir Shah has been in menacing form through the series taking 22 wickets in the first two Tests with eight wickets in the first innings of the second Test. He followed it up with six wickets in the second innings to level the series for Pakistan.

In his short career, Shah has become one of the primary spin bowlers for Pakistan in the format. His best figures of 8 for 41 came in the second Test against New Zealand in November 2018, in which he became the first bowler after Anil Kumble, in 1999, to pick up 10 wickets in a single day of Test cricket.