Abbas ‘disappointed’ over non-selection in Pakistan team
He last played in August 2021
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas is disappointed after not getting selected to play for the national side during the recently-concluded home Test season.
Abbas also cited his performance in domestic in county cricket last season.
“I played in our local domestic season while also performing in County Cricket which is why it is obvious that I’m disappointed over my non-selection,” Abbas told Geo News in an exclusive interview.
“But I will continue to put in the hard yards because that’s the only thing I can do since selection is out of my hands,” he added.
Abbas also confirmed that he will play for Hampshire in 2023 and 2024 after signing a two-year agreement with the county side.
“During 2022 season for Hampshire, I took 50 wickets in 12 matches. I also claimed two fifers during six matches of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy despite the fact that two to three matches were affected due to rain,” he said.
Abbas also had a word of advice for fast-bowlers regarding fitness.
“I think our fast-bowlers should play domestic cricket to improve their fitness. They play Test matches directly after featuring in T20 cricket which leads to fitness issues. As long as pacers don’t play the longer formats, they will continue to face such issues,” he said.
Last year, Abbas completed 600 wickets in first-class cricket as well. He achieved the feat during a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match while playing for Southern Punjab against Northern in Abbottabad.
Abbas became the 13th Pakistani pacer to get 600 wickets in first-class cricket.
The 32-year-old has played 25 Test and three ODIs for Pakistan over the course of his career after making his debut in 2017. However, he has been out of the national side since August, 2021.
When he was a teenager, Abbas worked as an office boy in a court, registering documents for cases related to real estate. Before that, he was a welder and a factory worker.
Even during the grueling years spent working as a welder, Abbas never left cricket, even when it meant heading straight to the cricket grounds after longs hours in the factory.
Known for bowling his precise wicket-to-wicket deliveries, Abbas idolises Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock, and James Anderson for their lines and lengths. He also played Grade II cricket for two years with Mohammad Asif, who he says influenced his bowling significantly.
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