While he continues to wait for a call from the Pakistan national team, Mohammad Abbas has continued to make cricketing history after continuing his stellar bowling form during the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The veteran has proved once again why he remains one of the finest red-ball bowlers in the country, as he picked up yet another five-wicket haul while playing for Lahore Region Whites against Multan Region at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad.
Abbas tore through the opposition’s top order with a spell that reminded fans of his peak Test days, with figures of 5 for 32 in 15.4 overs to restrict the opposition to just 164. This performance marked Abbas’s second consecutive five-for in the tournament, following his 6 for 78 against Karachi Blues earlier in the week, underlining his consistency even deep into his domestic career.
With his latest five-fer, Mohammad Abbas becomes only the third pacer in the 21st century to take more than 50 five-wicket hauls in First-Class cricket. England great James Anderson (55) and Pakistan’s Abdur Rauf (57) are the only other players in this list.
2025 has been another prolific year for Mohammad Abbas, who recently led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship title, picking up 32 wickets in just 9 matches. He is also second in the wicket-takers chart for this year’s QeAT, but despite all that, the national call-up has eluded him. Abbas, who made his Test debut for Pakistan in 2017, last featured in the national side during the South Africa series in December 2024, where he marked his return with 6 for 54 and later celebrated his 100th Test wicket. Despite being overlooked since, his domestic heroics continue to make a strong case for another comeback.
Mohammad Abbas has reminded Pakistan fans that experience, skill, and discipline still matter in red-ball cricket, and now it is up to the selectors to bring him back into the international setup.