"Selection is a reward for my hard work" : Mohammad Abbas

[MenInG]

After Pakistan’s recent successes in the limited-over series in the West Indies, the attention now shifts to the upcoming three-match Test series which starts on the 21st of April. Whilst the recent news of the impending retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan has been the cause of some concern for fans, the induction of new talent in the Test squad has also renewed hope in a brighter future for Pakistan.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mohammad Abbas, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, has been one of the top performers in four-day domestic cricket for the past three years. His talent has been finally rewarded by the selectors with his inclusion in the sixteen-man Test squad for the tour of the West Indies.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Abbas spoke about his feelings after being selected for the Test squad, his performances in domestic cricket as well the impression he made on Misbah-ul-Haq during the semi-final of the Quaid-e-Azam Grade II cricket tournament and looked forward to helping Pakistan to success in the upcoming series.

Mohammad Abbas has been knocking on the door of selection for a good few years with some fantastic performances under his belt, so in a way his call-up for the Pakistan side was not unexpected as he stated that, “It’s a great honour to have been selected for the Pakistan Test squad for the tour of the West Indies. I feel selection is a reward for my hard work. I had earlier been invited for the training camp for the limited-overs series as well so in a sense, the coaching staff were able to see me bowl and that probably helped in making my case for the Tests as well. I am glad that I was able to impress the selectors during the Test series camp but I am sure that my hard work from the past two to three years at the domestic level had a lot to do with my eventual selection as well. I was always very hopeful that my name would be on the list for the squad for West Indies and in the end, I wasn’t disappointed.”

Coming from a modest background, it was his hard-work as well as talent which lead Abbas towards the top. Starting from club cricket in 2006, he quickly progressed via the regional route to make his debut in the 2009 edition of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy for the Sialkot team before ending up with KRL. The tally of 244 first-class wickets and three years of fantastic progress at the domestic level tells a story of great accomplishment of which Mohammad Abbas is rightly proud of.

“The confidence I have in my own abilities was really a product of my performances in the 2016-17 season where I was the highest wicket taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 71 wickets. In fact, even in the previous season I topped the charts with 61 wickets in the same competition. I also had a good series against England Lions in Dubai in 2016 and then went over to England to play against England A and Sri Lanka A in the One-Day games. I did, however, miss out on selection for the Pakistan A tour of Zimbabwe in September of 2016. It was a setback but I was not disappointed as that just gave me time to sit-back and take stock as well as work on some weaknesses in my game. My ambition was to work harder and aim for selection in the national team and the Almighty rewarded me for that effort.”

There aren’t too many fans and cricketers who do not recognise the qualities that the Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has brought to the game they love and play. With the experience of leading Pakistan for almost seven years and having faced bowlers from around the world under difficult circumstances, it is no wonder that Misbah’s judgement on bowling talent is well-respected by the selectors. The case of Mohammad Abbas’ selection for the Pakistan Test squad seems to be a good case in point as the fast-bowler explained, “The mark of great players is that they always appreciate and encourage other players and in that sense, my interactions with both Misbah and Younis Khan in the pre Test series camp was excellent. I was also fortunate that I recently played the semi-final in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Grade-II for Sialkot against Faisalabad. I took seven wickets for just 38 runs as we bowled out Faisalabad for 125 in the first innings. Misbah was captaining Faisalabad and was also impressed by my bowling, especially as I took his wicket. In the past few years, I have never had the opportunity to bowl with the red-ball to Misbah and this was the first time I got that chance. I thought to myself that this was a great chance to impress our Test captain and by taking nine wickets in that game, I feel I established a good impression on him which must have helped in my selection.”

The selections of Shadab Khan, Usman Salahuddin and Mohammad Abbas are examples if any were needed that the selection committee under the tutelage of the experienced former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq is taking concrete measures to encourage new talent based on merit alone. For Abbas, these are good signs for the future of Pakistan cricket.

“This is a great time for Pakistan cricket as anyone who is performing well at the domestic level is being given chances by the selectors. So, our top Twenty20 and One-Day performers were picked for the Limited-Overs series against the West Indies and in my case, the four-day performances from the past few years are being rewarded by the selectors as well.”

Mohammad Abbas’s journey to the Test squad for Pakistan has been one of hard work and is laced with some excellent performances but now a tougher challenge awaits the fast-bowler. With Pakistan’s less than ideal Test results in the past few series, the pressure will be on the former number one ranked holders to drastically improve their performances. It is here where a fresh talent like Abbas can help Pakistan, “I am very excited about the series ahead. If given the chance, I would do my best to continue the types of performances which I have been putting at the domestic level. From what I hear from the coaches and other players, the pitches in the West Indies are pretty similar to what we are used to here and that is what we have practised for. My aim is to put in some good performances in the West Indies and it would truly be a dream come true for me if due to my bowling, the Pakistan team is able to win games there”, he concluded.

[moghul]

A very well earned place in test squad through sheer hard work and consistent performance over the years.
Hope he will find place in playing eleven and will continue his domestic form into test matches, good luck to him.

[MenInG]

Very confident player and to me that is also a sign of someone who has the drive to succeed.

[Xoib]

have a feeling Amir test place is under threat he may get the first game but if he continues to struggle he might be dropped for one of the new blokes Abbas,Asghar or Hassan.

[MenInG]

The West Indies tour is the perfect place to see him in action.

[Belawal2014]

Good luck to him.

[Ellipsism]

Unless he is highly skilled with the ball- (something that I didn't see in the Pakistan Cup) he is not going to strike much fear with his military medium pace.

[hadi123]

he was picked on merit. No complaints, deserved it hope he gets a chance

[Citizen4]

now that Rahat is coming back, I'll be surprised if Abbas even gets a single game.

[ExpressPacer]

now that Lord Rahat is coming back, I'll be surprised if Abbas even gets a single game.

He's coming back??!!

[Hasan123]

Picked on merit. Good luck to him.

[Syed1]

Meritorious selection. If he doesn't pan out then that is a reflection of the gulf between our domestic structure and international cricket.

[Rayyman]

Meritorious selection. If he doesn't pan out then that is a reflection of the gulf between our domestic structure and international cricket.

We already saw that happen with

I'm expecting the same with Abbas.

[Syed1]

We already saw that happen with

I'm expecting the same with Abbas.

Don't think Imran Khan was the leading wicket taker in domestics for two years running.

[Major]

And people say misbah doesnt select youngsters.

Good stuff from the kaptaan for selecting him based on his performance

[Haz95]

And people say misbah doesnt select youngsters.

Good stuff from the kaptaan for selecting him based on his performance

27 years old is young? Babar Azam is probably a toddler to you then.

[DRsohail]

And people say misbah doesnt select youngsters.

Good stuff from the kaptaan for selecting him based on his performance

lets see how many chances he gets ahead of rahat the golden boy and others..

[Saj]

This guy has done well for a few seasons and deserves his chance.

However what is worrying is that Mickey Arthur is wanting to call up Rahat Ali.

[Rayyman]

Don't think Imran Khan was the leading wicket taker in domestics for two years running.

Both have nearly identical first-class stats.

[Arsalan Pro]

I hope he plays the practice match so we can get idea about him.

[Square Drive]

Very good pick but with the recent news regarding Rahat, I'm afraid Abbas, like Shinwari, Fahim, and Zakir, is just there on a paid vacation.

[o_ahsan99]

I doubt he will get a game in WI. Amir, Wahab and Hassan Ali will be considered before him.

For those who have seen him play, is he a good athlete and fielder?

[aloo paratha]

He's a good selection, on merit. Deserves to play in the practice match.

[Chief Destroyer]

Not much different to Imran Khan. Won't be long before people are upset.

Good luck to him.

[MenInG]

Could Hasan Ali's injury open doors for Abbas?

[MenInG]

Could Hasan Ali's injury open doors for Abbas?

Better chance now with Hasan injury not improving in time

[Square Drive]

I'm guessing we'll see a debut for Abbas tomorrow!

[GLORY OF '92]

Mediocre. We need more than this.

[MenInG]

Mediocre. We need more than this.

top wicket taker in domestic for years - we need more of this

[khurram39]

I think must be given 1 game at least and let him reveal his skills.

[MenInG]

Well done to Abbas! Let's see how he fares today

[MenInG]

Well done!

[Chief Destroyer]

Showing pretty good skill. First time seeing him swing the ball. Yet to see if he can swing the kookaburra.

[Chief Destroyer]

Difficult to judge though because the pitch is gripping a lot and the dukes ball is difficult to play under overcast but he has good control over his action.

[Chief Destroyer]

Original assessment was correct. He's only a bowler for swing/seam conditions. If Hasan is fit next game, he will like replace him.

[Arsalan Pro]

Wasn't great on his debut, but was better than Wahab Riaz.

[Arsalan Pro]

His real test would be in Asian conditions.

[MenInG]

Need him to improve further on his performance from the 1st Test

[pakistanigoneaussie]

he looks so much like shafiq when he is wearing a helmet, surely im not the only one that noticed

[Citizen4]

got his first 4fer

[BA56]

Very impressive in this match. I wonder how he would have done on the green pitches in New Zealand.

[MenInG]

Original assessment was correct. He's only a bowler for swing/seam conditions. If Hasan is fit next game, he will like replace him.

4fer and outstanding in this game.

[Chief Destroyer]

4fer and outstanding in this game.

He won't last long.

[Waseem]

Abbas shatters Wasim Akram record

Pakistan Right arm fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has made his entry into international cricket with a bang, after the Sialkot born exceptional show against the West Indies.

Abbas managed to break a long standing record by Pakistan legend Wasim Akram in Barbados, while playing in only his second international game, after Abbas claimed four scalps leaking 56 runs in the first inning of the second Test match.

In doing so, Abbas overtook Akram 29 years old record, to deliver the best performance by a Pakistani fast bowler at Bridgetown, Barbados.



Wasim Akram, who back in 1988 some 29 years back dismantled the formidable West Indian line-up grabbing 4 wickets for 73 runs. For Pakistan, spin maestro Saqlain Mushtaq achieved the best ever bowling figure at Barbados, claiming five wickets for 121.

Meanwhile, Pakistan which seeks to achieve their first ever Test series win trail by 140 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings of the second Test.

http://www.brecorder.com/2017/05/02/...-akram-record/

[MenInG]

Now I do wonder Abbas can turn himself into a much better version of Rahat Ali and make a perm place in the squad?

[Saj]

People talk about his lack of pace but I think he's done really well considering it's his debut series.

Room for improvement but a great attitude.

[Abdullah719]

Pretty good spell here by Abbas.

[BA56]

Game changing spell.

[TalentSpotterPk]

So happy for him. Well done Cheetay

Keep it up. Shaaba Shaaba.

[LordJames]

So happy for him. Well done Cheetay

Keep it up. Shaaba Shaaba.

Well done Boy...

First Pakistani Pacer with the right attitude who wants the Ball to wipe the Tail and pick up cheap wickets

[TalentSpotterPk]

Well done Boy...

First Pakistani Pacer with the right attitude who wants the Ball to wipe the Tail and pick up cheap wickets

Yes Wasim, Waqar & Shoaib had the tussle mainly Wasim & Waqar of who would remove the tail.

Reference : Game on Hai (Ptv), Wasim himself.


A significant % of Wasim, Waqar, Imran & Shoaib's wickets was of Tailenders. Still they were Pakistani greats and for me better than Abass. Asif's ratio of top order batsmen dismissal's was better than all Pakistani bowlers but He struggled to remove tail still he was great.


Abass has looked better than Wahab, Imran & Rahat and has better numbers too together with better control than Wahab & Rahat significantly. He has also lookef better than struggling and unfit Junaid so this is all that matters. He has justified his selection in all ways.

[Abdullah719]

Great spell from Mohammad Abbas today #WIvPak #Cricket pic.twitter.com/sRvky5p0Yz

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 13, 2017

[LordJames]

Yes Wasim, Waqar & Shoaib had the tussle mainly Wasim & Waqar of who would remove the tail.

Reference : Game on Hai (Ptv), Wasim himself.


A significant % of Wasim, Waqar, Imran & Shoaib's wickets was of Tailenders. Still they were Pakistani greats and for me better than Abass. Asif's ratio of top order batsmen dismissal's was better than all Pakistani bowlers but He struggled to remove tail still he was great.


Abass has looked better than Wahab, Imran & Rahat and has better numbers too together with better control than Wahab & Rahat significantly. He has also lookef better than struggling and unfit Junaid so this is all that matters. He has justified his selection in all ways.

Yes deserves the Test Spot....Still needs some work on fitness and increasing his Pace just a bit

Also for his Pace, his seam is not as perfect as Asif so needs work

All in all good prospect and needs to keep working.

I am happy for the lad.