Pakistan’s Overlooked Star: Mohammad Abbas

2024 closed out with one of the most enthralling Test matches that year. Pakistan were touring South Africa and only set 148 to defend in the fourth innings at the end of Day 3.

By all accounts, this was South Africa’s game; however, Mohammad Abbas suggested otherwise. Before stumps, Abbas traps Tony de Zorzi, the South African opener, lbw, and then Stubbs in a similar fashion.

With the aid of Khurram Shahzad, South Africa was then 19-3. On Day 4, Abbas’ defiant spell continued, taking 6 for 54, bringing his team closer to victory with the key wickets of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma, the in-form batters that day.

Though the result didn’t go in Pakistan’s favor, it highlighted what makes Abbas a valuable bowler. He bowled the entirety of those 19.3 overs at an unrelenting, probing length, tempting the batters.

This is exactly what he excels in: discipline and stamina. This is reflected in his numbers in Test cricket. He’s taken 100 wickets at an average of 23, very impressive numbers considering he hasn’t even played 30 Tests.

Debuting in 2017, Mohammad Abbas took 23 wickets at just 21 in his first year in international cricket. He took 38 wickets in 2018, being instrumental in sealing victory for Pakistan at Lord’s, taking 8 for 64.

Later that year, Abbas would go on to take 17 wickets at an average of 10 against Australia, taking a 10-wicket haul in the first Test, during the Australia tour to the UAE. He became the second fastest to 50 wickets for Pakistan.

Unfortunately, Abbas wasn’t as successful in 2019 and 2021, though Pakistan wasn’t playing a lot of Tests. In 2021, Abbas was dropped from the Test squads until the Boxing Day test against South Africa in 2024.

In the 3 years away from Test cricket, Abbas became somewhat of a domestic stalwart in the County Championship, finding a great deal of success for Hampshire, playing 3 seasons and amassing 180 wickets at an average of 19.26.

Nottinghamshire signed Abbas earlier this year, and he became a key asset for them, taking 32 wickets at 21.46 and helping them claim the County Championship. In First-Class cricket, Mohammad Abbas has 845 wickets at 20.41 since his debut in 2009.

When Abbas was excluded from the squad at home, I expressed my displeasure on X in a tweet I said:

If he can take wickets with a Kookaburra ball at Trent Bridge he can take wickets in Pakistan.

What I meant was that Trent Bridge is a flat wicket with short boundaries, i.e., the ground is high scoring, with a ball that didn’t assist the conditions, he would be able to succeed in Pakistan.

My assessment was correct.

In the most recent season of the Quaid e Azam Trophy, Abbas took the most wickets for any seam bowler, 38 wickets at a bowling average of just 15.39.

Abbas’ bowling is suited to all conditions, as the stats and evidence suggest. Though he doesn’t have express pace, his accuracy alongside swing with the new ball makes him an effective wicket-taker, and he doesn’t just take wickets with the new ball either; he has another facet to his game, which is the wobble seam delivery.

Wobble seam is a technique that bowlers use to extract movement of the pitch- this is achieved by gripping the ball in such that the seam doesn’t remain upright, causing deviation off the surface, making it difficult for batters to read because the ball can deviate unpredictably off the surface from the same grip. for batters, causing false shots and manufacturing wickets.

Given the right field sets, the fielders close into the batters- not allowing for singles and doubles, his bowling puts pressure on the batters because of how economical he is, he doesn’t concede many runs, and this can create pressure, especially when bowling outside the off stump, tempting batters to play their shots.

Ever since Pakistan’s victory against England with the aid of the two spinners in Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, the new strategy at home has been to curate wickets that turn; while this strategy does ensure results it does negate fast and seam bowling, however Abbas in these conditions can use the low bounce and deviation off the surface to his advantage like he had done in the UAE in the past.

Furthermore, with the upcoming tour to England later this summer, Pakistan ought to play him as he has the experience. Pakistan will be going into that tour with a young and inexperienced seam bowling attack.

In combination with Khurram Shahzad and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abbas could be useful in overcast conditions in England. Going forward, Mohammad Abbas should be a mainstay in the team because he’s 35 years old, he isn’t getting any younger, and like a fine wine, he’s only gotten better with age. Now is the best time to utilise him.