'My googly is coming out well': Yasir Shah confident of bamboozling the English batsmen

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah believes the googly will be his "most important weapon" in England and said he is also eyeing a century with the bat against the hosts during the upcoming Test series beginning next month. The three-Test series begins with the opening match on August 5 in Manchester, followed by the second and third Tests at Southampton. The 34-year-old has been working on his googlies with Mushtaq Ahmed, who was appointed as the spin bowling coach ahead of the England tour by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

'My googly is coming out well': Yasir Shah

"My googly is coming out well," said Yasir, who has so far captured 213 wickets in 39 Tests for Pakistan. "In the two-day match, all the googlies I bowled landed well and spun well. I think it will be my most important weapon," he added.

Shah is the fastest bowler to take 200 wickets in red-ball cricket and reckons that the dried English wickets will offer a lot of assistance for the spinners.

"Counties usually sign spinners for July to September because, in these three months, spinners get help on dry wickets," Yasir said, adding that he is "hopeful that the wickets will assist the spinners."

"I am working on my batting in the nets. When the team needs you, you need to step up. So I do have a target, of scoring a century in England. If I can hit a hundred at Adelaide, I can do it here as well," the leg-spinner further added.

International cricket resumed on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic with England taking on the West Indies in the opening Test of the three-match series at Southampton.

Pakistan tour of England 2020

The Pakistani squad had reached England on June 28 for a bilateral series that was originally scheduled to be played from July 30 to September 2. However, as per the revised schedule, the two teams will now lock horns in a three-match Test series that will be followed by a three-match T20I series. Azhar Ali will be leading Pakistan in Tests whereas, the current top-ranked T20I batsman Babar Azam will be leading the former number one T20I side in the game's shortest format. 

READ: England Vs West Indies Test Live Updates: Stumps On Day 2, WI Trail By 147

(With PTI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: AP)