At the rate at which Pakistan have been handing out debuts to pacers in recent times, there is a good chance that within a year or two, ambidextrous pacer Yasir Jan would get a look in. The teenager, Jan is a one-of-a-kind cricketer who is equally adept bowling at searing pace with both his bowling arms.
The Pakistan Super League side, Lahore Qalandars, unveiled Jan to the world, and the wiry pacer is already garnering a fair bit of attention at home and overseas. After all, ambidextrous cricketers were envisioned as the future of the game in 2009 by former Australian World Cup-winning coach John Buchanan.
At the moment, Jan is a rough diamond who is training under the watchful eyes of former Pakistan pacer, Aaqib Javed, who is also the director of the Qalandars side. Jan, in an interview, stated that he can generate more pace with his right as it is his natural hand. With his left hand, Jan generates a decent amount of bounce through a bowling action that bears stark resemblance to Pakistan left-armer, Junaid Khan.
Ambidextrous bowlers are not new to the world of cricket. Former England captain Graham Gooch and Sri Lankan World Cup winner Hashan Tillakaratne were some of the earliest exponents. In recent times, another Sri Lankan, Kamindu Mendis, wowed fans in the U-19 World Cup earlier in the year by effortlessly switching from left hand to right from one delivery to the next. Vidarbha's Akshay Karnewar replicated Mendis's feat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. Jan is the first pacer to enter that elite brand.
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