Watch: Yasir Shah gifts Test cap to disbelieving fan mid-match
Watch: Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah made a cricket fan’s day by gifting him his Test cap part-way through his side’s game against New Zealand.
For most, a Test cap is the most coveted of possessions, the culmination of a life’s work, a national honour, and a reminder that, whatever comes after it, you’re one of the select few to have played the most prestigious form of one of the world’s most popular sports.
That, seemingly, is not the case for Yasir Shah, however. During the fourth day’s play of Pakistan’s first Test against New Zealand, he ran over to the boundary hoardings and nonchalantly tossed the treasured headgear to a spectator before returning to the field.
The fan in question could hardly believe his luck, standing open-mouthed and posing to show how he was now the owner of not one but two hats, one of which came with quite the story.
“Yasir Shah has found a lucky fan in the crowd,” said one of the Spark Sports commentary team. “You don’t see that every day, giving away his Test cap. The guy’s pretty chuffed too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player give away his Test cap to someone on the bank. It’s made his day, that’s for sure.”
Yasir earned plenty of praise for the gesture, but there was also general puzzlement at both the scale and timing of his act.
Generous yes… but in the middle of a game? https://t.co/E88txJ8okD
— Rick Eyre on cricket (@rickeyrecricket) December 29, 2020
Surely not 😳 https://t.co/DuQP3jbTp6
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) December 29, 2020
That wasn’t the last seen of the Test cap on the coverage. After being passed around, a cheeky fan used his moment in the spotlight to have some fun, flipping the bird at a TV camera.
You've just been given one of Pakistan's greatest ever cricketers test match cap…What do you do? #NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/LXCitV9gPV
— Sean Hogan (@SeanHoganNZ) December 29, 2020
Watch Yasir give his Test cap to a fan below.
There’s happy, there’s really happy and then there’s this spectator after Yasir Shah gave him his Test cap 🧢 #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/WrL5wWcpbW
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 29, 2020
