Mohammad Abbas

Mohammad Abbas is a professional Pakistani cricketer who specializes as a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He has represented the Pakistan national team since 2017 and currently plays for the State Bank of Pakistan cricket team.

Early life and education

Abbas was born on 10 March 1990 in the small village of Jathekey near Sambrial. Before he achieved success in professional cricket, he worked various manual jobs to earn a living. He performed welding work within a leather factory and served as a helper at a law firm in Sialkot.

Career

The domestic career of Abbas began with significant success in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He recorded 61 dismissals during the 2015–16 tournament and followed this by taking 71 dismissals in the next edition. During the 2017–18 season, he led the wicket-takers for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited with 37 dismissals across seven matches.

Abbas transitioned to English county cricket through several different clubs. He signed for Leicestershire County Cricket Club in January 2018 and re-signed for the same club in September 2018. In March 2021, he joined Hampshire County Cricket Club as an overseas player. While playing for Hampshire against Middlesex in April 2021, he successfully took a hat-trick during the first innings. He maintained a strong presence at Hampshire by picking up 180 wickets with an average of 19.26 over three seasons. In February 2025, he signed to play six matches for Nottinghamshire and achieved 5 for 31 on his debut against Hampshire. He later extended his stay with Nottinghamshire in June 2025 before signing a two-year contract with Derbyshire County Cricket Club in December 2025.

His international career started in April 2017 when he joined the Pakistan Test squad for a series against the West Indies. He made his Test debut at Sabina Park on 21 April 2017 and took his first wicket with his second ball. After his third Test match, he secured his maiden five-wicket haul against the same opposition. In 2018, he took 10 wickets during a two-Test series against England and earned the player of the series title. During the October 2018 series against Australia, he became the joint-quickest fast bowler to reach 50 Test wickets for Pakistan by taking them in just 10 matches. He also achieved his first ten-wicket haul in international cricket during the final Test of that series.

Abbas expanded his international profile by making his One Day International debut against Australia on 22 March 2019. Although he was included in various squads for tours to England and New Zealand, he faced a period of exclusion from the national side. He was sidelined from Pakistani Test cricket for three years between 2021 and late 2024. During this gap, his bowling average remained impressive at 23.02 through 90 wickets. He made a successful comeback in December 2024 during the tour of South Africa. In his first Test match back, he took 7 wickets—with 6 of those coming in the 4th innings—to help push Pakistan toward victory. He eventually reached his 100th Test wicket by dismissing Kwena Maphaka in the second Test.

Awards and recognition

The Pakistan Cricket Board awarded Abbas a central contract for the 2018–19 season in August 2018. During that same month, he was named the PCB's Test Player of the Year. The International Cricket Council also recognized him as one of five breakout stars in men's cricket in 2018. Additionally, his performances earned him a place in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for 2018.