Mohammad Abbas
Mohammad Abbas - bowler from Pakistan national cricket team
Mohammad Abbas is a distinguished Pakistani right-arm fast bowler with an established international reputation. He represents the Pakistan national team and has played for several prominent domestic and overseas clubs, including the State Bank of Pakistan and, more recently, Nottinghamshire in England.
Mohammad Abbas: Biography
Although today Abbas is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and technically refined right-arm bowlers of his generation, boasting numerous awards and major cricketing accomplishments, his rise to the professional scene was far from straightforward. Despite his passion for the sport, cricket did not become his primary source of income until well into his twenties.
Born on 10 March 1990 in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Mohammad Abbas spent years working ordinary jobs before entering top-level cricket. He was employed as a welder in a leather factory and later as an assistant at a law firm. At one point he even contemplated leaving Pakistan in search of better prospects, but close friends convinced him to stay and continue pursuing cricket.
“I’m the eldest son in the family, so I was ready to leave the country just to earn a living, but my friends told me to stay – things would get better here,” the cricketer said in an interview.”
Like many Pakistani players, Mohammad Abbas began his journey in tape-ball cricket, an informal format using a taped tennis ball that is extremely popular across the country. By the age of 16, he was already turning out for Sialkot, where former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar recognized his potential. His career took a major step forward in 2009 when he joined the Sialkot Stallions, the most successful T20 side in Pakistan.
Between 2009 and 2012, Abbas helped the Stallions secure three national titles. Later, he shifted his focus to first-class cricket, the highest level of domestic competition. In the 2015/16 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, he finished as the leading wicket-taker with 61 wickets, and remarkably, he repeated this achievement the following year while representing Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.
Mohammad Abbas: International Career
His outstanding domestic performances earned him a call-up to Pakistan’s Test squad for the 2016 series against the West Indies. Abbas made his Test debut on 21 April 2017 at Sabina Park in Jamaica, claiming three wickets in his first appearance. In the third Test of the same series, he delivered an even stronger performance with a five-wicket haul. His next breakthrough came in the two-match Test series against England, where he collected ten wickets in total and was named Player of the Series. In August 2018, the ICC included him in its Men’s Test Team of the Year.
This recognition only strengthened his drive. In October 2018, Abbas reached 50 Test wickets in just his tenth match, setting a new record for the fewest Tests needed to achieve the milestone. In the final game of that series, he claimed five wickets in each innings, becoming the first bowler to record a ten-wicket match on UAE soil.
Abbas made his ODI debut for Pakistan in early 2019, facing Australia. In 2020, he was included in the enlarged 29-man squad for the tour of England and later made the shortlist for the Test series against them. That same year he was also selected for the Test squad to play against New Zealand.
Beyond international cricket, Mohammad Abbas has thrived in the English county circuit as well, representing Leicestershire (2018–2019), Hampshire (2021–2024) and joining Nottinghamshire in 2025. His longevity and consistency remain evident: on 30 July 2025, at Trent Bridge, he celebrated a major personal milestone by claiming his 800th career wicket in a home fixture against Somerset.
Below is a summary table of the achievements and stats of this outstanding Pakistani cricketer.
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Best Innings | Avg |
| Tests | 27 | 100 | 6/54 | 23.18 |
| ODI | 3 | 1 | 1/44 | 153.00 |
| First class | 203 | 839 | 8/46 | 20.46 |
| List A | 63 | 84 | 4/31 | 29.94 |
| T20s | 38 | 32 | 3/22 | 35.53 |
