Abu Dhabi: Injury worries mounted for Pakistan ahead of the first Test against England at the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium as their frontline spinner Yasir Shah was seen walking off the training session holding his back on Monday.
Shah was Pakistan’s second casualty in two days after their batting mainstay, Azhar Ali, was forced to pull out with a foot infection that he carried from the Zimbabwe tour.
Leg spinner Shah was seen lying in pain on the ground with a back spasm after he bent down to stop the ball in the nets. With no reserve spinner, the Pakistan think tank was in a huge dilemma to either play three pacers in Imran Khan, Rahat Ali and Wahab Riaz or summon a suitable replacement for Shah from back home.
“Yasir’s injury is a concern and could be a jolt,” skipper Misbah-ul-Haq told a press conference later. “We are looking into it and hope that he is okay by tomorrow morning.”
There were trying to fly in 20-year-old slow left arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who impressed with the Pakistan A team. However, with very little time on hand, Gohar, who took five wickets for Pakistan A in two warm-up matches against England, is unlikely to make it before the start of play on Tuesday.
Shah’s absence will be a huge relief for the England camp as he would have been very effective on these surfaces. He has taken 61 wickets in 10 Tests and has been the fastest Pakistan bowler to reach 50 Test wickets since his debut last year.
He, in the company of slow left-arm spinner, Zulfiqar Babar has been a lethal duo for in the last five Tests played together, they have amassed 27 wickets each. In the absence of Ali, Shoaib Malek makes way into the team and he would bat at No 3. This also means that Shan Masood will either open with Ahmad Shehzad or Mohammad Hafeez.
Malek’s inclusion also gives Pakistan an extra bowling option with Hafeez banned from rolling his arm over. Considering the number of left-handers in the England side, Malek should come in handy.
Abu Dhabi has also been a happy hunting ground for Misbah, with the Pakistan Test captain hitting five 100s and three 50s. In five of the last six innings he has batted in Abu Dhabi, he has scored centuries. He also holds the record of joint fastest century with Viv Richards (56 balls) which he made during the series against Australia last year. More importantly, Pakistan are undefeated in Tests at Abu Dhabi and have never lost a Test series here in the UAE.
England have an herculean task in front of them as since 2009, they have not won a Test series abroad and their last win was against Bangladesh in 2009 when the latter were clearly the minnows.
In the head-to-head record of 22 Test series so far, England have won nine and Pakistan seven with the remaining six ending in draws. The visitors’ batting will rely heavily on skipper Alastair Cook and Joe Root, who has emerged as their crisis man and the most reliable batsman. All-rounder Stuart Broad’s partnerships with Moeen Ali were a vital element in England regaining the Ashes and the duo will have a huge role to play down the order.
England’s senior paceman James Anderson will be bowling in tandem with Broad and Mark Wood as Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test with a foot injury.
The sweltering heat will be a test for the pacers, but Cook has plenty of other bowling options to give his pacers enough rest. With spin set to play a significant part, a lot would be expected from Adil Rashid. The 27-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner has his task cut out straight away in what will be his debut Test.
