Imran Khan congratulates Yasir Shah on entering the ‘200 club’

Even though Pakistan has been known to be a land of fast bowlers, it was one of its spinners who made history recently by becoming the quickest bowler to take 200 wickets in Test cricket and in the process, shattered a record which remained there for over the last eight decades. Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett (1891-1980) took his 200th Test victim in 36 Tests (he played just one more after that) and Yasir Shah, also a leggie, broke it by claiming his 200th scalp in 33 games.

Shah had his moment of pride when he trapped night-watchman William Somerville, also a debutant, just half-an-hour into the morning, by hurrying onto his pads. The historic moment though came in front of mostly empty stands as the match, the third in the series which is tied 1-1 at the moment, drifted.

However, the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan – a former cricketer – took out time from his busy schedule to congratulate the 32-year-old bowler for his feat. Imran also recalled Yasir’s grand performance of taking 14 wickets in the second Test against the Kiwis last week which Pakistan won by an innings to square the three-match series. He said it also equalled his own feat of taking 14 wickets against the same opposition at home in 1976.

Yasir is having a great series against New Zealand

Yasir already has taken 27 wickets in the series and has all the chance to eclipse another leg-spinner Abdul Qadir who has the record of taking most number of wickets in a three-Test series (30 against England in 1987-88). Besides being the fastest to reach the 200 club in Tests, the bowler has also been the second-fastest to take 100 Test wickets (17 Tests) and the fastest from Pakistan to complete 50 wickets in the longer format (nine games).

Pakistan took a crucial 74-run lead over New Zealand in the third Test being played in Abu Dhabi but Kiwi captain Kane Williamson’s magnificent unbeaten 139 along with Henry Nicholls’ 90 not out ensured that the visitors were more in the safety zone now and averted the danger of losing the series despite taking a lead.

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