Yasir Shah

International career

Yasir Shah, born on 2 May 1986 in Pakistan, is a well-known cricketer. He plays as a leg-spinner and has earned recognition for his achievements in Test cricket. Yasir is the joint-second fastest bowler to reach 100 wickets in Test cricket. He also holds the record for being the fastest bowler to take 200 wickets, surpassing the previous mark set by Australian bowler Clarrie Grimmett.

Shah made his Test debut on 22 October 2014 against Australia in the UAE. During Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka, he became the fastest Pakistani bowler to reach 50 Test wickets.

In December 2015, Yasir Shah was banned for three months by the ICC after a sample from him tested positive for chlortalidone, a substance listed on WADA's prohibited list. He returned to cricket after serving the suspension.

In December 2018, during Pakistan’s Test series against New Zealand, Yasir Shah broke an 82-year-old record by becoming the fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets. This accomplishment confirmed his place as one of the top bowlers in international cricket.

2011

• ODI Debut: September 14, 2011, against Zimbabwe at Harare. Shah took 2 wickets for 51 runs in his first ODI match.
• T20I Debut: September 16, 2011, against Zimbabwe at Harare.
• T20I Last Match: September 18, 2011, against Zimbabwe at Harare.

2014

• Test Debut: October 22–26, 2014, against Australia at Dubai. Shah took 7 wickets for 116 runs in his debut match, with Steve Smith as his first victim. Pakistan won the match by 221 runs.

2015

• World Cup Debut: February 15, 2015, against India in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
• Fastest Pakistani to 50 Test Wickets: In June 2015, against Sri Lanka, Shah became the fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 Test wickets in just 9 matches.
• Suspension: December 2015 – March 2016. Shah was banned for 3 months after a positive test for chlortalidone, a banned substance.

2016

• Record at Lord's: In July 2016, against England, Shah became the first leg-spinner since Mushtaq Ahmed (1996) to take a five-wicket haul at Lord's. He also became the highest wicket-taking bowler in a single match for any Asian side at Lord's.
• ICC No. 1 Test Bowler: July 18, 2016, Shah reached the No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings, becoming the first Pakistani bowler to achieve this since 1996.

2017

• Fastest to 100 Test Wickets: In his 17th Test match against the West Indies, Shah became the second-fastest bowler in history to take 100 Test wickets.
• Joint-Second Fastest to 150 Test Wickets: On September 28, 2017, against Sri Lanka, Shah became the joint-second fastest bowler to reach 150 wickets in Test cricket.

2018

• Record-Breaking Performance: In November 2018, during the second Test against New Zealand, Shah took 14 wickets for 184 runs, the best by a Pakistani spin bowler in Test matches.
• Fastest to 200 Test Wickets: In December 2018, during the series against New Zealand, Shah became the fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets in terms of matches played.

2019

• Record for 200 Runs Conceded in an Innings: In November 2019, during the series against Australia, Yasir Shah became the first bowler to concede 200 runs in a single Test innings on three occasions.
• First Test Century: During the same series, he scored his first century in Test cricket.

2020

• Tour to England: In June 2020, Yasir Shah was part of Pakistan's 29-man squad for the tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was named in the 20-man squad for the Test series against England in July.
• ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade Nomination: In November 2020, Yasir Shah was nominated for the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Decade award.

2021

• Test Series Against South Africa: In January 2021, Yasir Shah was named in Pakistan's Test squad for the series against South Africa.

2022

• Test Last Match: In July 2022, Shah played his last Test match against Sri Lanka at Galle.

Five-Wicket Hauls (As of April 2022)

• Yasir Shah has taken 16 five-wicket hauls in Test matches and 1 five-wicket haul in an ODI.
• Best Test Figures: 8/41 against New Zealand in 2018.
• Best ODI Figures: 6/26 against Zimbabwe in 2015, the second-best ODI bowling figures for Pakistan.

Leagues Participation

Yasir Shah has played in several major cricket leagues across the world. In 2015, he joined the Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League. He was with Lahore Qalandars from 2016 to 2019 in the Pakistan Super League and played for Peshawar Zalmi in 2020. Shah also represented the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League in 2017 and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League in 2017 and 2021.

Bangladesh Premier League

Yasir Shah played for Dhaka Dynamites in the 2015/16 Bangladesh Premier League season. In October 2018, he was named to the Khulna Titans squad for the 2018-19 season. In January 2019, he played in a match against Rangpur Riders in Dhaka.

Year	Team	Notes
2015	Dhaka Dynamites	Played in the 2015/16 season
2018	Khulna Titans	Named in the squad for 2018-19 season
2019	-	Played in the match against Rangpur Riders (Jan 22)

Pakistan Super League

Yasir Shah played for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League from 2016 to 2019. In 2020, he joined Peshawar Zalmi as a replacement for Mohammad Mohsin, who got injured. Shah had some notable moments with Lahore Qalandars, including a match in 2018 when an on-field incident occurred with teammate Sohail Khan. In 2020, Shah played four matches for Peshawar Zalmi, taking three wickets but conceding 112 runs. As of 2025, Shah has made 27 PSL appearances, scoring 45 points in 27 starts, with an average of 1.56.

Year	Team	Notes
2016-2019	Lahore Qalandars	Played from 2016 to 2019
2020	Peshawar Zalmi	Joined as a replacement for Mohammad Mohsin
2020	Peshawar Zalmi	Played four matches, took 3 wickets, and conceded 112 runs

Big Bash League

Yasir Shah joined Brisbane Heat for the 2017–18 Big Bash League season. He played alongside his fellow Pakistani player, Shadab Khan. In November 2017, it was reported that Shah was listed as a reserve player and did not take part in any matches.

Year	Team	Notes
2017	Brisbane Heat	Named as a reserve player for the 2017–18 season

Caribbean Premier League

Yasir Shah played for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2017. On September 9, 2017, the Trinbago Knight Riders won against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 3 wickets. He was also part of the team in 2021. In the 27th match of the tournament on September 11, 2021, Trinbago Knight Riders lost to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 8 wickets.

Year	Team	Notes
2017	Trinbago Knight Riders	Won against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 3 wickets on September 9, 2017
2021	Trinbago Knight Riders	Lost to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 8 wickets on September 11, 2021

Domestic career

Yasir Shah started his cricket career at the age of 15. He debuted in first-class cricket in the 2001/02 season and played for teams like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Abbottabad, Pakistan Customs, and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. He also played for Pakistan A. Yasir made his List A debut in the same year and started his T20 career in 2008 with the Wolves against Rhinos in Lahore.

He has played many domestic matches across all formats. His first-class career began in 2002, and he played his latest match in February 2025. Yasir's last List A game was in October 2024, and his most recent T20 match was in March 2025, where he played for Peshawar against Abbottabad. In addition to his domestic cricket, he was part of the Brisbane Heat team in the 2017–18 Big Bash League and was selected for Khulna Titans in the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.

Records and achievements

Yasir Shah has achieved many records and received several awards throughout his career:

• Sitara-e-Imtiaz: He received Pakistan's third-highest civilian honor from President Arif Alvi on March 23, 2019.
• Fastest Pakistan bowler to 50 Test wickets: He reached 50 wickets in just 9 matches, helping Pakistan win a 2-1 series against Sri Lanka in 2015.
• Second-fastest to 150 Test wickets: He reached this milestone in September 2017.
• Pakistan Cricket Board Player of the Year: Shah was named Player of the Year by the PCB in 2017.
• Test Player of the Year: He received the PCB Test Player of the Year award in 2017.
• Fastest to 100 Test wickets: Shah set this record in 2015 during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka.
• Fastest to 150 Test wickets: He took 150 wickets in a Test on September 28, 2017, during the first Test against Sri Lanka.
• Fastest to 200 Test wickets: He reached 200 wickets in December 2018 during the series against New Zealand.
• First bowler to take 200 wickets in under 200 innings: He set this record in November 2019 during the series against Australia.
• Multiple 10-wicket hauls in Tests: He has taken 10 wickets in multiple matches, proving his match-winning abilities for Pakistan.

Personal life

Yasir Shah, a famous cricketer from Pakistan, has led an interesting life both on and off the field. He was born in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to a Pashtun family. His cousins, Junaid Khan and Fawad Ahmed, are also well-known cricketers. Below is a look at his personal life:

Family

Yasir Shah is married and has children. He comes from a family involved in cricket. His cousins, Junaid Khan and Fawad Ahmed, also play at a professional level.

Finance

Yasir Shah has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. His annual earnings are about $500,000 from brand endorsements and $800,000 from playing cricket. He owns personal assets worth around 300 million rupees ($2 million). He also owns two plots of land, one for farming and one for his home where he lives with his family.

Scandals

In 2015, Yasir was charged with an anti-doping rule violation. In 2021, he was involved in a case where a woman accused him of helping his friend Farhan sexually assault her 14-year-old niece. The case caused controversy as Yasir allegedly made light of the situation when he was contacted about it.

Fans

Yasir Shah has a strong fan base in Pakistan. He is popular for his energetic celebrations after matches, especially during games with players like Steve Smith. He has around 99k followers on Instagram.