Mohammad Abbas Pakistan Career Allegedly ‘Ruined’ By PCB, Misbah-ul-Haq

Mohammad Abbas and Misbah-ul-Haq [Source: AFP Photos]

Mohammad Abbas, a veteran pacer for Pakistan who has been out of the cricketing scenario for a considerable period before 2024, has returned to cricket with a bang.

During the ongoing Pakistan versus Bangladesh Test series, Abbas took five wickets in the first innings of the first Test and announced his comeback after the South Africa 2024 Test series, where he took 10 wickets from four innings.

Mohammad Abbas' resurgence in the Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series was lauded by former Pakistan fielding and wicketkeeping coach Atiq-uz-Zaman, who recently made a stunning revelation on the cricketer's career, which was allegedly ruined by Misbah-ul-Haq back in 2020.

Mohammad Abbas’ Rise And Downfall

Abbas was a shining prospect for Pakistan who hailed from a small village. His emergence came in 2016 after two successful domestic seasons, and he was also the top wicket-taker.

In the 2015-16 domestic first-class competition, his rise with the ball gradually made him one of the most prominent bowlers for the side across all three formats. However, his ODI appearances remained limited to just three matches, while he never debuted in the T20 format for the team.

He played 27 Test matches, picking up 100 wickets in his career, while being a strike bowler at a rate of 55.5.

In Mohammad Abbas’ combined Test and ODI career, Abbas has successfully picked up 106 wickets and had been a regular presence since his debut in Kingston back in April 2017 until August 2021.

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After 2021, Abbas technically vanished from the national setup for two years before featuring in the South Africa Test series in December 2024.

Someone who was at his peak in 2018 and 2019 gradually lost his charm in 2021 and was missing from the setup, and former PCB fielding coach Atiq pointed out the reason behind it.

Misbah-ul-Haq Responsible For Abbas’ Downfall

Taking to his official X handle, Atiq posted a scathing tweet at around 12:37 pm IST on May 9. Atiq wrote that Abbas's career was ruined by Misbah-ul-Haq and Co in 2020.

As per Atiq, when he asked Misbah about Abbas's wicket-taking abilities, the former coach of the Men in Green said back then that taking wickets in county cricket is easier than taking wickets in international cricket.

“Mohammad Abbas’ career was ruined by Misbah and Co. in 2020. I asked in a meeting and was told, “it’s easy to take wickets in county cricket.” Personal disliking kept him out for years. Now Abbas is back doing what he does best, taking wickets. Class is permanent,” Atiq wrote on his X handle.

Atiq-uz-Zaman

@Atiq160Test

Mohammad Abbas’ career was ruined by Misbah and Co. in 2020. I asked in a meeting and was told, “it’s easy to take wickets in county cricket.” Personal disliking kept him out for years. Now Abbas is back doing what he does best, taking wickets. Class is permanent. 🇵🇰🔥 #BANvPAK

Notably, Abbas has 875 first-class wickets from his 382 innings, while he also boasts 84 wickets from 63 List A matches and 32 wickets from 38 T20 games.

Nevertheless, this was allegedly more of a personal dislike from Misbah-ul-Haq that kept Abbas out of the national setup.

Misbah’s Tenure As Pakistan Coach

For the unaware, Misbah-ul-Haq served as the Pakistan men's national team head coach from September 2019 to September 2021.

Although he was appointed on a three-year contract, he stepped down early, citing mental fatigue. While Misbah-ul-Haq's tenure as head coach was short, he was also criticised for inconsistent results in limited-overs formats.

Although Test records improved under Misbah, the ODI and T20I formats were where Misbah's fortress broke significantly.

Mohammad Abbas Makes Stunning Comeback

Nevertheless, Abbas is now back in the national side alongside Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali as he took 5 wickets from his 34-over spell. The pace department of Pakistan now features three experienced veterans, courtesy of Abbas, who are currently taking on Bangladesh.

In the first Test, Bangladesh's innings was wrapped up for 413 runs, with Najmul Hossain Shanto scoring 101 runs, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque added significant 71 and 91 runs respectively to strengthen Bangladesh's position.

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