CricTracker fan poll – 5 best Test bowlers of the year

2. Yasir Shah – 29% votes

The leg-spinner from Pakistan made a dramatic comeback in Test cricket in July and led his country to one of the most famous victories in their cricketing history. Beginning the year with a 4-match Test series in England, Yasir Shah immediately made an impact by bagging 6 English wickets in the 1st innings of the 1st Test. He picked four wickets more in the 2nd innings to lead Pakistan to a famous victory at the Mecca of Cricket, “The Lord’s.

He was pretty ordinary in the next two Tests which Pakistan lost but came back strongly in the final Test with a 5-wicket haul and yet again led the visitors to a series-levelling win. In the following series against the Caribbean’s he was back at his best and bagged 21 wickets in the 3-match Test series at an impressive average of 26.85. He was injured during the Test series in New Zealand and played only one Test in the series which Pakistan lost 0-2.

In the first Test of the 3-match Test series against Australia at the Gabba, Shah was unimpressive and could only bag 3 wickets in the whole match which Pakistan eventually lost by 39 runs.

Also read- CricTracker fan poll – 5 Best ODI batsmen of the year