Babar Azam Reveals the Real Reason Behind Yasir Shah’s Exclusion From Playing XI

Yasir Shah entered Test cricket in 2014 as a promising leg-spinner who quickly established himself as one of the best in the world. However, Yasir’s fitness in the last two years has kept the spinner out of the national side. Although he is part of the squad as a reserve player for the Test series, Babar Azam says he is still struggling with fitness issues.

While talking to the media in the virtual press conference regarding Yasir Shah’s possible role in the upcoming series,  Babar Azam said, “There was a problem with Yasir Shah’s injury. He was called up to the training camp and a lot of work has been done for him to regain the fitness.”

“He is currently in reserves because he is still regaining fitness. He hasn’t played a competitive match in the last one or two months, which requires you to work even harder,” he further added.

While answering a question regarding Yasir’s inclusion in the Test setup, Babar Azam said that Yasir is one the best spinners in the longest format of cricket and that he will be part of playing XI only after returning to full fitness. “He has been one of Pakistan’s best spinners and whenever he can regain fitness, we will be utilizing his expertise,” Babar concluded.

Yasir Shah has represented Pakistan in 46 Test matches with 235 wickets to his name at an average of 31.08. Yasir Shah has taken 32 wickets against Australia in 9 Test matches and also holds a number of records, including the fastest bowler to reach 200 Test wickets in just 33 matches.