Wasim, Waqar rolled into one!

Lahore, October 20 

A greengrocer’s son who can bowl at pace with either arm is causing excitement in Pakistan as he targets a spot on the national team. Yasir Jan, 21, can bowl at around 145kmph with his right arm and 135kmph with his left. Even in a country with a history of cricket innovations, such as the reverse sweep and reverse swing, Jan has got everyone excited. 

By swapping arms, a bowler can greatly vary the angles of his deliveries and trouble the batsmen by constantly changing his bowling arm. “It is an advantage. When there is a right-handed and a left-handed batsman batting together, having a bowler who can bowl with either arm is a huge luxury,” said his coach Muhammad Salman. 

“There are no rules that debar bowlers from using both arms to bowl in an over.”

Jan’s talent was uncovered in an U-19 match in Rawalpindi. Jan’s skipper, on seeing that the opposition was running away with the match, asked him to bowl with his left-arm as well. Jan did that, and shocked the opposition with a four-wicket haul.

Jan, who bowls with a chest-on action and idolises South African great Dale Steyn, said he was inspired by legendary pacemen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis when he was growing up. “I’ve been bowling with both arms since I was a kid,” said Jan. “I saw Waqar and Wasim bowling in 2003 World Cup. I really liked watching them... I’d copy them. I kept working at it and became good.” — AFP