Meet Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan mystery spinner who took seven wickets on Test debut against England

The Babar Azam-led Pakistan team faced the recently crowned T20 Champions, England, in the second of three Test matches at the Multan Cricket Stadium. England, who chose to bat first, were swept out for 281 runs in 51.4 overs of aggressive cricket.

Surprisingly, the first five wickets were lost at the hands of Abrar Ahmed, a young mystery spinner. Following his outstanding performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23, the 24-year-old won his first call-up to the national team. The leggie took 43 wickets in seven matches at an average of 21.95 to finish as the competition’s leading wicket-taker.

Pakistan’s management was instantly impressed by his performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and encouraged him to play the series against the Three Lions. The youngster became Pakistan’s 252nd player to compete in the sport’s red-ball edition. He finished the innings with a seven-wicket haul, giving 7/114.

A special moment for Abrar Ahmed 

 The debutant shares his excitement. #PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/l9SG2QqXRA
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022

Abrar is from Shinkiari, a small village near Abbottabad on the borders of Mansehra. He played tape-ball cricket for four years before learning about a cricket trial at Rashid Latif’s academy when he was just nine years old. While observing the tryouts, Abrar’s miraculous deliveries left Pakistan’s U19 coach Muhammad Masroor speechless.

Cricket came naturally to Abrar; his father Noor Ahmed was a major follower of the Pakistan team, and Abrar’s elder brother Shahzad Khan who is a fast bowler represented National Bank in the home circuit.

Abrar notched up 53 wickets in Zonal U19 in Karachi in 2016, earning him a huge opportunity to represent Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Karachi Kings as one of the promising choices. In his First-Class career, Abrar has 76 wickets in 26 innings. With the young star having received a national call-up, Pakistan is in good hands.

Abrar made a comeback for Sindh’s second XI in early 2020. Abrar took 57 wickets at 11.75 in the Quaid-e-Azam Second XI tournament that year.

A terrific achievement on debut 

Adulations for Abrar Ahmed #PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/kCRUF1QrEc
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022

Abrar lit up the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2022-23, claiming 43 wickets at an average of 21.95. The second-best total was a paltry 31. In seven matches, Abrar took five five-wicket hauls, earning him a Test call-up against England.

Abrar took seven wickets on his debut for Pakistan against an English heavyweight team. Pakistan, on the verge of losing their summit clash berth in the ICC World Test Championships owing to a defeat in the first match, is hoping for a miraculous recovery in the second match.

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