Coach Arthur picks Shadab Khan over Yasir Shah

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has said that he would pick ‘genuine all-rounder’ Shadab Khan over leggie Yasir Shah for the Johannesburg Test.

“It will be Shadab because he is a genuine all-rounder,” said Arthur, quoted cricbuzz. “It allows us, like we did at Lord's [last year], to have him at seven, Faheem at eight and then three bowlers, which can be any of the quicks or even Yasir Shah if the we think the pitch is going to turn. It gives us that flexibility.”

The head coach was of the view that the pick comes due to the conditions on offer, while calling Shah among the world's top spinners. “But, it is only in conditions like this. Because in the UAE, Yasir Shah is a gun. He is one of the world's best spinners. His ability is not in question at all. In these conditions, we are just trying to give players the right amount of workload," he said.

With the series 2-0 already in favor of South Africa, Pakistan would aim to avoid a whitewash in the third Test at Johannesburg - starting January 11.

Meanwhile, South Africa will be without regular captain Faf du Plessis in the third and final Test after he was handed a one-match suspension and a 20 percent match-fee fine.