Pakistan found themselves on the verge of a big win after day three of their second Test against New Zealand at Dubai following a sensational display from Yasir Shah.

The Pakistan leg-spinner picked up 10 of the 12 New Zealand wickets to fall on the day as Sarfraz Ahmed’s men assumed complete control of the second Test. The Kiwis were bundled out just 90 runs in their first innings before reaching 131-2 in their second in reply to Pakistan’s total of 418-5.

Here, we take a closer look at Shah’s performance.

FIRST INNINGS STATISTICS

OVERS BOWLED: 12.3

WICKETS: 8

RUNS CONCEDED: 41

MAIDENS: 1

ECONOMY-RATE: 3.28

SECOND INNINGS STATISTICS

OVERS BOWLED: 15

WICKETS: 2

RUNS CONCEDED: 65

MAIDENS: 2

ECONOMY-RATE: 4.33

30-SECOND REPORT

Shah got into the act in the morning session by breaking a stubborn 50-run stand between New Zealand’s openers Jeet Raval and Tom Latham. The leg-spinner had Raval chopping on to his stumps before he unleashed an over for the ages minutes before lunch.

In an over filled with unplayable rippers, Shah dismissed Latham, Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls. He then cleaned up New Zealand’s tail post lunch to record his personal best and the third-best figures by any Pakistan bowler in history.

The 32-year-old wasn’t done then as he picked up two big wickets of Raval and Kane Williamson in New Zealand’s second innings to become the first Pakistan bowler to pick up 10 wickets in a single day of Test cricket.

Sensational stuff from the Pakistan leg-spinner.

GOT RIGHT

Shah was in a league of hos own on Monday. The senior Pakistan spinner was spitting venom at the Dubai International Stadium, displaying supreme control. More than the sharp turn that Shah was extracting from the wicket, it was his guile which bamboozled the Kiwi batsmen.

The leg-spinner got his lines and lengths spot on against both right and left handers. Once Shah finds his zone on pitches in the UAE, he is literally unplayable as New Zealand’s batsmen learned the hard way on Monday.

A well-deserved accolade for the Pakistan man.

GOT WRONG

Very rarely did Shah lose control of the red-ball on day three but he did display some signs of weariness in New Zealand’s second innings. Although he did manage to send back Raval and Williamson, the leg-spinner was negated admirably by Latham and Ross Taylor who took the attack to him.

The duo used the sweep shot to good effect to neutralise the sharp turn Shah was extracting as they stitched together a promising stand. Having to bowl more than 27 overs in a day can take its toll on any bowler in UAE conditions and Shah can be forgiven for being a little wayward in the closing stages on Monday.

VERDICT – 10/10

Just like his wicket-haul, Shah scores a perfect 10 for the impact his display has had on the game. After Pakistan’s batsmen did all the hard work over two days, the leg-spinner put them in control with a breathtaking spell before lunch.

The record-haul couldn’t have come at a better time for Shah who was under pressure to deliver following his scratchy display against Australia last month. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed had demanded more from his leading man in the series against New Zealand and that is exactly what he got from him on Monday.

It was a timely reminder from the Pakistan man that he remains one of the most destructive spinners in Test cricket.

Answering his skipper’s call in style.