Ambidextrous fast bowler Yasir Jan wants to emulate Haris Rauf after dreams stall

Pakistani quick aims to ‘show the world my unique skills’ after overcoming back injury

After his initial rise to prominence, Yasir Jan has spent much time sidelined by injury, but he says he is now back and raring to make an impact again. Photo: Yasir Jan

It takes something unique to stand out from a crowd of half a million people.

Not everybody can send down a 92mph thunderbolt with their first ball, as Haris Rauf did.

So when Yasir Jan got his chance at the Lahore Qalandars talent hunt of 2016, he knew it was going to take something special to catch the eye.

The scouts for the Pakistan Super League franchise had toured the country, taking in 22 centres, and casting their eye over, in their estimation, more than 500,000 wannabe stars.

By which point, they were probably a little world weary, and felt they had seen most things.

Not absolutely everything, it turned out. Jan ran in and bowled a right-arm fast delivery, which Aaqib Javed, the Qalandars coaching supremo, speculated was not far short of 90mph.

Plenty of others on their tour of Pakistan had been capable of similar, though. What followed was something the former Pakistan pace bowler had never seen before: Jan then ran up and delivered something almost identical with his left arm, too.

Suddenly, the greengrocer’s son was global news: the world’s first ambidextrous fast bowler. His 15 minutes of fame included news reports on ESPN and Sky Sports, as well as wall-to-wall coverage in his homeland.

Qalandars signed him to a long-term development contract. He spent the next summer training with MCC, and even bowled against England and West Indies in the nets at Lord’s.

And yet, five and a half years on, while fellow talent hunt prodigy Rauf has gone on to become a global star with Pakistan, Jan’s career has remained in the sidings.

“Simply, I got injured in 2018 while bowling fast,” Jan said of the reason his career stalled.

“I recovered, then was sponsored to go to the UK to play a season of club cricket in Derbyshire in 2019.

“I went to Pakistan, my performances were really good, then was sponsored to go and play in Australia in 2020. In that time, I suffered a stress fracture in my lower back, which was so disappointing for me.

“I am working hard. My batting is good, too. I performed with the bat in England and Australia, and I want to come back. I want to show the world I have unique skills.”

Having moved to Islamabad with his family when he was 12, Jan began by playing tape-ball cricket.

“My dad supported me, and wanted me to play cricket,” he said.

“From childhood, I watched cricket on the TV every day. That was the thing that got me here. No-one coached me. I always coached myself by watching cricket on TV, and later on YouTube.

“I watched every fast bowler’s action, and found I could copy them as well.

Yasir Jan, pictured with fellow fast bowler Chris Woakes, was a net bowler for England during his time as an MCC Young Cricketer in 2017. Photo: Yasir Jan

“I tried to copy Dale Steyn with my right arm, then, when I was bowling with my left hand, Wasim Akram.”

He represented his state in age-group cricket, and first unveiled his USP to a disbelieving audience in a game for Rawalpindi Under 19s against Lahore.

“Everyone was shocked,” he said. “At first the umpire stopped me and said, ‘What are you doing?’ I told him I was doing to same thing, just with the other hand.

“All the coaches were shocked because I had been bowling with my right hand, then all of a sudden I was coming in and bowling with my left hand.”

After his brief flirtation with fame in 2016, Jan remains hungry for a shot at the big time. He has watched Rauf become a PSL star, then a world one with Pakistan, and realises his former rookie teammate at Qalandars is living the ambition he himself still craves.

“That is my dream,” Jan said. “We played together, Haris Rauf and me, and a number of other players involved in Pakistan cricket at the moment. We were together for two years at Qalandars, in camps together.

“That is the dream I want to follow. Now I am back, fully fit, and working hard. I want to come back.”