Shadab injury rules out twin leg-spinners attack

DUBAI: Pakistan’s hopes of coming at Australia with a rare two leg-spinner combination have taken a hit with Shadab Khan all but ruled out of the opening Test in Dubai starting Sunday (tomorrow). Shadab has yet to recover from a groin injury he picked up during the Asia Cup, though Pakistan remain hopeful hewill be fit for the second Test in Abu Dhabi. Shadab’s absence will come as a blow. Earlier this summer, while Pakistan were on tour to England, Mickey Arthur was relishing the prospect of unleashing Yasir Shah and Shadab in tandemat teams in the UAE. That tour was a breakthrough of sorts for Shadab in the longer format. Though his numbers shine with bat in hand—three fifties across the three Tests in swinging conditions — there were signs that his leg-spin was developing too. He was far from the finished product, but a vast improvement from his Test debut in Bridgetown in April 2017. Pakistan have not been historically averse to playing two leg-spinners in the same Test XI. Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed played a Test together in 1990 against West Indies. Mushtaq played a couple of Tests with Danish Kaneria in 2003. And though Shahid Afridi was an all-rounder, his legspin accompanied that of Kaneria in as many as 17 Tests. In the 60s and 70s, Intikhab Alam and Mushtaq Mohammad played together many times, both all-rounders strictly speaking but both also leg-spinners.—Agencies