Yasir Shah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yasir Shah

Shah in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Yasir Shah
Born	(1986-05-02) 2 May 1986 (age 39) Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm leg break
Role	Bowler
Relations	Junaid Khan (cousin) Fawad Ahmed (cousin)
International information
National side	Pakistan (2011–2022)
Test debut (cap 219)	22 October 2014 v Australia
Last Test	24 July 2022 v Sri Lanka
ODI debut (cap 188)	14 September 2011 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI	11 May 2019 v England
ODI shirt no.	86
Last T20I	18 September 2011 v Zimbabwe
Domestic team information
Years	Team
	Rest of North-West Frontier Province
2001–2009	Pakistan Customs
2008–2015	Abbottabad Rhinos
2010	Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited
2011–present	Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province
2015	Dhaka Dynamites
2016–2019	Lahore Qalandars (squad no. 86)
2017	Kent (squad no. 86)
2017	Trinbago Knight Riders
2017	Brisbane Heat
2019	Khulna Titans
2020	Peshawar Zalmi (squad no. 86)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 48 25 148 97 Runs scored 865 127 3,097 723 Batting average 13.73 18.14 17.01 20.65 100s/50s 1/0 0/0 1/7 0/2 Top score 113 32* 113 66* Balls bowled 13,997 1,293 33,687 5,012 Wickets 244 24 612 122 Bowling average 31.38 47.91 28.81 32.77 5 wickets in innings 16 1 33 2 10 wickets in match 3 0 4 0 Best bowling 8/41 6/26 8/41 6/26 Catches/stumpings 24/– 6/– 74/– 34/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 24 July 2022

Yasir Shah SI (Pashto: یاسر شاه; born 2 May 1986) is a famous cricketer from Pakistan. He is known for his amazing bowling skills. Yasir is one of the fastest bowlers in Test cricket history to reach 100 wickets. He also broke an 82-year-old record by being the fastest to get 200 wickets! This record was previously held by Australian bowler Clarrie Grimmett.

Yasir Shah played his first Test match for Pakistan on 22 October 2014. This game was against Australia in the UAE. Later, during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka in 2015, Yasir became the quickest Pakistani bowler to take 50 Test wickets.

In December 2018, during a Test series against New Zealand, Yasir Shah made history. He became the fastest bowler to reach 200 wickets in Test matches. This was a huge achievement in his career.

Yasir Shah's Family Life

Yasir Shah was born in 1986 in Swabi, which is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He comes from a Bondizai Pashtun family. Yasir has cousins who are also well-known cricketers. These include Junaid Khan, a fast bowler for Pakistan, and Fawad Ahmed, a spin bowler for Australia. It seems cricket runs in their family!

Playing for Teams and Leagues

Yasir Shah started his first-class career in February 2002. Since then, he has played for many different teams in Pakistan. Some of these teams include the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cricket team, Abbottabad Rhinos, Pakistan Customs cricket team, and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. He also played for the Pakistan A cricket team.

In 2017, Yasir was chosen to play for the Brisbane Heat team in Australia. He played alongside another Pakistani cricketer, Shadab Khan, in the 2017–18 Big Bash League season. In October 2018, he joined the Khulna Titans team for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.

Yasir Shah's International Career

Yasir Shah played his first international match on 14 September 2011. This was a one-day international game during Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe. In that match, he took two important wickets for 51 runs. He dismissed Zimbabwean opener Vusi Sibanda and wicketkeeper-batsman Tatenda Taibu.

In August 2018, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave Yasir Shah a central contract for the 2018–19 season. This means he was one of the top players chosen by the board.

Test Debut and Early Success

Yasir made his Test debut against Australia in 2014. He was picked for the team when Saeed Ajmal was not available. In his very first Test, Yasir took 7 wickets for 116 runs. His first Test wicket was Steve Smith. Yasir helped Pakistan win that match by 221 runs. In the second Test, he took 5 wickets for 91 runs, leading Pakistan to a big win. He took 12 wickets in that series, making him the second-highest wicket-taker. In January 2015, Yasir was selected for Pakistan's team in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He played his first World Cup match against India on 15 February 2015.

Record-Breaking Achievements

In June 2015, while playing against Sri Lanka, Yasir Shah became the fastest Pakistani bowler to reach 50 Test wickets. He achieved this in just nine matches. Before him, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Asif, and Shabbir Ahmed held the record, taking 50 wickets in ten matches. Yasir also took three five-wicket hauls in a row against Sri Lanka. For his great performances in 2015, the ICC named him in the World Test XI. Cricinfo also included him in their Test XI of the year.

In July 2016, during a tour against England, Yasir Shah made history at Lord's cricket ground. He became the first leg spinner since Mushtaq Ahmed in 1996 to take a five-wicket haul in a Test innings there. He also took 10 wickets in that entire match. This made him the highest wicket-taking bowler from any Asian team at Lord's in a single match.

On 18 July 2016, Yasir Shah reached the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers. He was the first Pakistani bowler to do this since Ahmed in December 1996. He also became the first leg spinner since Shane Warne in 2005 to be ranked No. 1.

Milestones and More Records

In his 17th Test match against West Indies in Dubai, Yasir Shah took his 100th Test wicket. He became the second fastest bowler ever to reach this milestone, with only George Lohmann doing it quicker. He is the fastest Pakistani to take both 50 and 100 wickets in Tests. On 28 September 2017, he became the joint-second fastest bowler of all time and the quickest spinner to take 150 wickets in Tests.

In November 2018, in a Test match against New Zealand, Yasir Shah took an amazing fourteen wickets in the match. In the first part of the game, he took eight wickets for only 41 runs. This was the best performance by any bowler against New Zealand in a Test match. On the same day, he took a total of ten wickets. This made him the first bowler for Pakistan, and only the second bowler ever, to take ten wickets in a single day of Test match cricket. His match figures of 14/184 are the best by a Pakistani spin bowler in Tests. They are also the second-best figures by any bowler for Pakistan in Tests. In December 2018, during the same series against New Zealand, Yasir Shah took his 200th wicket in Test cricket. He became the fastest bowler to reach 200 wickets in Tests, doing so in his 33rd match.

In November 2019, during a series against Australia, Yasir Shah scored his first century in Test cricket. This was a great moment for him as a batsman. In November 2020, Yasir Shah was nominated for the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Decade award, which shows how highly he is regarded in the world of cricket.

Five-Wicket Hauls

As of April 2022, Yasir Shah has taken 16 "five-wicket hauls" in Test matches. A five-wicket haul means a bowler has taken five or more wickets in a single innings. He has also achieved one five-wicket haul in a One Day International match. His best bowling figures in a Test match are 8 wickets for 41 runs, which he took against New Zealand in 2018. Yasir's best One Day International figures are 6 wickets for 26 runs, recorded against Zimbabwe in 2015. This set a new second-best record for Pakistan in ODI bowling.

Five-wicket hauls in Test cricket by Yasir Shah

No.	Date	Ground	Opponents	Inn	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Result
1	17 November 2014	Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai	New Zealand	3	21	79	5	Drawn
2	17 June 2015	Galle International Stadium, Galle	Sri Lanka	3	30.1	76	7	Pakistan won
3	25 June 2015	P Sara Oval, Colombo	Sri Lanka	2	41.3	96	6	Pakistan lost
4	3 July 2015	Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Pallekele	Sri Lanka	1	31.5	78	5	Pakistan lost
5	14 July 2016	Lord's, London	England	2	29	72	6	Pakistan won
6	11 August 2016	The Oval, London	England	3	29	71	5	Pakistan won
7	13 October 2016	Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai	West Indies	2	43	121	5	Pakistan won
8	21 October 2016	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi	West Indies	4	39	124	6	Pakistan won
9	21 April 2017	Sabina Park, Kingston	West Indies	3	21.4	63	6	Pakistan won
10	30 April 2017	Kensington Oval, Bridgetown	West Indies	3	39.5	94	7	Pakistan lost
11	10 May 2017	Windsor Park, Roseau	West Indies	4	37	92	5	Pakistan won
12	28 September 2017	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi	Sri Lanka	3	27	51	5	Pakistan lost
13	6 October 2017	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	Sri Lanka	1	55.5	184	6	Pakistan lost
14	16 November 2018	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi	New Zealand	3	37	110	5	Pakistan lost
15	24 November 2018	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	New Zealand	2	12.3	41	8	Pakistan won
16	24 November 2018	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	New Zealand	3	44.5	143	6	Pakistan won

Ten-wicket hauls in Tests by Yasir Shah

No.	Figures	Date	Venue	Opponents	Result
1	10/141	14 July 2016	Lord's, London	England	Pakistan won
2	12/210	21 October 2016	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi	West Indies	Pakistan won
3	14/184	24 November 2018	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	New Zealand	Pakistan won

Five-wicket hauls in One Day International cricket by Yasir Shah

No.	Date	Ground	Opponents	Inn	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Result
1	1 October 2015	Harare Sports Club, Harare	Zimbabwe	2	9	26	6	Pakistan won

Awards and Honors

Yasir Shah has received several awards for his excellent cricket career:

• He was named PCB's Test Player of the Year in 2017.
• On 23 March 2019, he was given the Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi. This is the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan, showing his great contributions to the country.