Abu Dhabi: Pakistan's chances of defeating England in Tuesday's opening Test match in Abu Dhabi suffered a blow on Monday when key leg-spinner Yasir Shah suffered a back spasm during practice. The 29-year-old Shah stumbled in his follow-through and apparently hurt his back. "Yasir's injury is a concern and could be a jolt," skipper Misbah-ul-Haq told a press conference on Monday.


Yasir Shah. Pic/AFP

"We are looking into it and hope that he is okay by tomorrow morning." Pakistan are relying heavily on Shah and fellow left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar to win the three-match series in the United Arab Emirates. Shah took 24 wickets in Pakistan's 2-1 win in the Tests in Sri Lanka in July and was seen as the dangerman for England, who were routed 3-0 by spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman here in 2012.