England pitches will suit spin in July-August: Yasir Shah

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Sarthak Karkhanis
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Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

Pakistan wrist-spinner Yasir Shah believes that Pakistan doesn’t have an inexperienced side. He also hinted that Pakistan may play another spinner in the XI if needed as he feels that wickets in England may favour the tweakers in the months of July-August.

“I think we need to look at the pitches before deciding. Obviously, the tracks in England during July-August tend to assist spinners,” Yasir Shah said.

The leg-spinner was confident about the Asian side’s chances in the Test series.

“Hopefully, we should be able to compete well. The preparation has been good so far. We’ve arrived one month early and so, there is a lot more time left. When we came in 2016, we had a two weeks’ camp in Southampton. So we’re accustomed to the tracks over there. We also played an ODI there. Yes, spinners do enjoy the conditions there. We hope to make use of that,” the 34-year-old added.

Pakistan is unbeaten in England since 2010, and Yasir Shah was a part of those sides. He also showered praise on spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed

“It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to. On our 2016 tour, I was able to do well and fortunately, Mushy (Mushtaq Ahmed) was there at that time too. He used to keep telling me what to do. His experience of playing in England and county cricket has helped me a lot. I had to endure a lot of struggles. There was a fracture and returning from such an injury was tough for me. Recovery and form was tough. But I gained confidence steadily and the rhythm started to return. Over here, the practice has been good and Mushy has been constantly giving me tips on areas to improve.”

England pitches will suit spin in July-August: Yasir Shah | Pakistan wrist-spinner Yasir Shah believes that Pakistan doesn’t have an inexperienced side

Shah was impressed with the training facilities and food arrangements in England.

“It’s a different feeling (bio-secure environment) and I’m trying to focus extensively on my preparations. It’s been over a week here in England and I must say that the food arrangements have been really good. We’ve been given meals as recommended by our physio. Of course, I do miss home-cooked food but given the situation across the world, going out isn’t an option.”

Yasir also said that the players will find it difficult to play in front of empty stands.

“It will be definitely be tough to play without crowd support. We’ll miss it for sure. We did play a few PSL games in front of empty stands and it’s never ideal. But given the current scenario, there isn’t much you can do.”

The England-Pakistan Test series is scheduled to begin on August 5 at Old Trafford.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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