Mickey Arthur backs Mohammad Abbas to 'go bigger' in 2026

KARACHI: Former Pakistan men's cricket team head coach Mickey Arthur on Wednesday expressed confidence in veteran national pacer Mohammad Abbas to flourish in the upcoming year.

Arthur, who coached the national men's team to the Champions Trophy glory in 2017, made the remarks in response to a social media post shared by a local news outlet, in which it lauded Abbas for finishing the outgoing year as the only bowler with 100 wickets in first-class cricket.

Reacting to the pacer's rare milestone, Arthur predicted an even more successful year for Abbas in 2026.

"2026 [Mohammad Abbas] is going to go bigger," wrote Arthur while retweeting the aforementioned post.

For the unversed, Abbas is set to link up with Arthur as he signed a two-year deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club earlier this month for the County Championship Division Two 2026, scheduled to run from April 3 to September 24.

Abbas, who has represented Pakistan in 27 Tests since making his international red-ball debut in 2017, has been one of the most sought-after overseas players in England's first-class tournament as he has picked up 291 wickets at an average of 19.89.

He has represented Hampshire and Leicestershire in his budding County Championship career, while his most recent stint came with Nottinghamshire, and he won the Division One title with them earlier this year.

The 35-year-old is now set to feature in Division Two after turning down offers from several Division One counties.

Derbyshire's Head of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, who coached Pakistan to their maiden ICC Men's Champions Trophy glory in 2017, expressed delight over Abbas's inclusion in his side and termed his signing a "statement".

He further backed Abbas's bowling skills to come in handy for the side, while his experience would be helpful in nurturing the young talent.

"This is a statement signing for us, we've beaten a number of Division One counties to sign one of the finest red ball bowlers around and we're absolutely delighted to have Mohammad on board for 2026 and 2027," Arthur was quoted as saying by Derbyshire CCC.

"He's an exceptional bowler, he bowls maidens, builds pressure and his wickets come at a really impressive average. However, it's not just his ability which will be huge for us, his experience is going to be massive for our young players to learn from."