Tag: Abrar Ahmed

LAHORE: Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s mystery spinner, has revealed the reason behind ending his unique head-shaking celebration after taking a wicket.

While speaking to a Private channel, Abrar Ahmed stated that he decided to end his head-shake celebration after the match against India in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

The 26-year-old spinner, currently representing Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, dismissed Shubman Gill with an outstanding delivery in the high-stakes encounter.

Following the wicket, Abrar gestured to Subman to leave while shaking his head, which drew significant backlash.

“I started this celebration in the previous PSL and continued it in South Africa without any issues,” Abrar explained.

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“But during the India match in the Champions Trophy, it became a bigger deal. I never intended to offend anyone, so I’ve decided to move on from it,” he added.

He emphasized the value of spirit in the game, admitting that he does not want to hurt anyone with his actions.

Abrar Ahmed highlighted the areas of improvement in his bowling, lauding his hard work. The right-arm spinner expressed confidence in the Quetta Gladiators’ squad for a strong comeback in the upcoming matches.

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“Our squad is strong—just one win can change our momentum. Having a legend like Viv Richards motivate us is invaluable,” he remarked.

It is worth mentioning that Abrar Ahmed has a good outing in the PSL 10 so far, taking seven wickets in just three matches. However, Quetta Gladiators have struggled in the tournament so far, currently placed fifth on the points table, with one win and two losses in three matches.

They are scheduled to play their next match against the Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 25 April.

READ: Shaun Tait opens up on possible return as Pakistan coach

MULTAN: Pakistan cricket team suffered a major blow during the ongoing first Test against England as spin bowler Abrar Ahmed did not toke the field on day four here on Thursday.

The right-arm wrist spinner is suffering from fever and is unlikely to return to action during the ongoing Test.

Abrar Ahmed has bowled 35 overs in the first innings and remained wicketless after giving away 174 runs.

Notably, the touring side enjoyed a commanding third session of play yesterday as they piled up 141 runs to get to 492/3 with Root closing in on a double century.

Root, unbeaten on 176 and Brook, 141 not out, resumed England’s first innings on the fourth day.

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England also dominated the second session as they had reached 351-3, trailing by 205 runs, with Root (119) and Brook (64) on the crease.

Pakistan got rid of dangerous Ben Duckett early in the second session with Aamir Jamal providing the breakthrough. The left-hander played a quick-fire knock of 84 runs from 71 balls, laced with eleven boundaries.

Root was joined by Brook and together they added an unbeaten 110 runs in 133 balls for the fourth wicket until the umpires called the Tea on Day 3.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmad.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir.

READ: Gillespie banks on ‘fresh’ pacers to tackle England’s fightback

 

Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed and middle-order Kamran Ghulam have joined the national squad ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh, starting on 30 August in Rawalpindi.

Both players were released from the Test squad before the start of the first Test match and featured for Pakistan Shaheens in a four-day game against Bangladesh ‘A’ at the Islamabad Club from 20 to 23 August.

Abrar took four wickets, while Kamran scored 34 runs in the drawn four-day game in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has also joined the squad after returning from home. Shaheen went home after the conclusion of the first Test to meet his newborn baby boy.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Aamir Jamal, who had been released from the squad to work on his fitness at the NCA, has been recalled. Aamir’s participation in the second Test will remain subject to fitness clearance.

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Pakistan would be looking to bounce back in the second Test after suffering the first-ever defeat against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series.

Following the defeat, several strategies came under question; such as going with an all-pace attack, declaration and batting failure in the second innings.

Pakistan, after being put into bat first, accumulated 448/6 and declared their first innings in the dying minutes of the second day. Bangladesh, in response, piled up a mammoth total of 565, courtesy of Mushfiqur Rahim’s marathon 191-run knock, before bundling out in the third session of the fourth day.

The first Test was assumed to be heading towards a draw but Pakistan’s batting lineup faltered against Bangladesh’s spinners on the final day and could score 146, setting the visitors a meagre 30-run target.

Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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Pakistan men’s cricket team will field an all-pace attack only for the second time in a home Test match in 28 years during the upcoming Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on August 21.

Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed releasing sole specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed from their squad for the opening Test against Bangladesh and also that the home team will field an all-pace attack.

“The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August,” said PCB in a statement.

“Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on 30 August.”

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Abrar’s exclusion means Pakistan will go with an all-pace attack only for the second time in a home Test, including their United Arab Emirates’ stint, since September 1995 when they hosted Sri Lanka.

The only such instance during the period was when Pakistan rested their then key spinner, Yasir Shah, from the Playing XI for the opening match of the series against Sri Lanka in 2019 at the same venue.

The reason behind Pakistan going with an all-pace attack is that the Pindi Cricket Stadium pitch is assumed to have some patches of grass and will support pace and bounce.

As a result, the responsibility of providing a spin option now lies only on Salman Ali Agha, who in his last six Tests, has bowled an average of 12 overs per innings and twice bowled more than 20 overs.

“You can look into whatever you want. But to start, I think we’ve got two special spinners. Salman Ali Agha is good enough to be classified as a specialist spinner,” said Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie during PCB Podcast last week.

READ: Abrar Ahmed released from Pakistan squad for first Bangladesh Test

Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam have been released from the Pakistan squad for the first Test and he will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August.

The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August.

“Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on 30 August,” stated PCB.

Uncapped top-order batter Kamran Ghulam is the other player to be released from the Pakistan Test side and has been retained in the Pakistan Shaheens side for the second four-day match. He has also been appointed as the captain.

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This means the Pakistan Test squad has been trimmed to 15 players, but will be back to its original 17-player strength after the conclusion of the second four-day match when Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam will rejoin the side for the Karachi Test against Bangladesh.

Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheen side, have now joined the Test side, while Mohammad Rameez Jnr has been left out for the second four-day match.

These eight players have been replaced in the Shaheens side by Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir and Sharoon Siraj.

Pakistan Shaheens squad (for second four-day) – Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudassar, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj and Umar Amin.

READ: Salman Butt names three fittest players in Pakistan team

Pakistan’s Test head coach Jason Gillespie debunked claims of selecting only one specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed for the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh, commencing on August 21.

Gillespie emphasized that the Pakistan squad looks well-balanced and termed Abrar as a promising young talent before going on to assert claiming Salman Ali Agha as a specialist spinner as well.

“You can look into whatever you want. But to start, I think we’ve got two special spinners. Salman Ali Agha is good enough to be classified as a specialist spinner. From what I’ve seen, he has a lot of potential with his off-spin. Abrar (Ahmed), obviously, is a fine young bowler in the early stages of his career,” stated Gillespie.

Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie then went on to claim that the squad has its all bases covered and also that it is an exciting time for the national team.

“So, I think we’ve covered a lot of bases. We have a lot of seam bowling options and spin bowling options. Our batting is varied as well. I believe we have all bases covered, and it’s a very exciting time for the Pakistan Test side,” Jason Gillespie added.

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According to the sources, the pitch of the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, is expected to have some grass on it and thus would be favourable for the pacers.

Consequently, Pakistan would likely go with four pacers Mir Hamza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah and fourth would be either Aamer Jamal or Khurram Shehzad while Abrar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha would form the spin attack.

“A grassy pitch is being prepared for the Rawalpindi Test,” Abrar confirmed earlier today.

“I took wickets on grassy pitches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy,” he added.

Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

READ: “Management’s call,” Abrar Ahmed on playing in Bangladesh Tests

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s rising spinner Abrar Ahmed on Thursday, opened up on the prospect of representing the national team in the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh.

Abrar, at a press conference held here at Pindi Cricket Stadium, days ahead of the Test series opener between Pakistan and Bangladesh, emphasized that his role was to work hard while the team management would decide whether he would be a part of the Playing XI.

“My job is to work hard, the management has to decide whether to field me or not,” said Abrar.

Abrar Ahmed also revealed his plans to emerge as the top spinner of the national team amid fierce competition, posed by Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan.

“Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan are all very skilful. I got the opportunity to learn from them,” said Abrar.

“I worked more on my mystery delivery and I aim to become the top spinner of the team,” he added.

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The mystery spinner also commented on the prospect of making it to the Pakistan squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held in Pakistan in February-March.

“The selection committee will decide whether I will play Champions Trophy games or not,” said Abrar.

The two-match Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh will commence in Rawalpindi, with the first Test scheduled to begin on 21 August.

Following that, the action will shift to the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where the second Test match will be held from 30 August to 3 September.

Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ Abrar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel have both been fined five per cent of their match fees on Saturday for breaching the code of conduct during eliminator 1 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Both players were fined for Level 1 breaches of PSL’s code of conduct during their side’s PSL 9 fixture against Islamabad United at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Friday night.

Abrar was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Disobeying an umpire’s instruction during the match”.

The incident occurred in the 19th over of Islamabad United’s batting, when, while fielding, Abrar rolled the ball all along the ground despite being instructed by the umpires not to do so.

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In a separate incident, in the same match, Saud was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”.

After dismissing United’s batter Salman Ali Agha in the 12th over, Saud went close to Salman and made remarks which could have provoked the batter.

Both players pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Mohammad Javed.

The charges were imposed by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney.

Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 9 campaign ended with a 39-run victory over Islamabad United, who advanced to the Eliminator 2 to face Peshawar Zalmi.

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MELBOURNE: Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed will not be available for Pakistan’s second Test of the three-match series against Australia, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared Saturday.

According to the PCB, Abrar Ahmed’s symptoms have significantly improved but the mystery spinner did not fully recover and thus will not be considered for selection for the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

“Abrar Ahmed’s symptoms have significantly improved, and he has started bowling at 50 per cent intensity. Although he has worked really well since his diagnosis in Canberra, he still is not 100 per cent asymptomatic,” stated PCB.

“Considering the nature of the injury and the workload required from a spinner in a Test match, Abrar is not yet ready and will therefore not be available for the second Test.

“He will undergo a preliminary fitness test on 25 December, which will determine his probable return-to-play date.”

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Notably, Abrar Ahmed complained of discomfort in his right leg after bowling eight overs on the third day of a four-day game against Prime Minister’s XI.

Consequently, the 25-year-old spinner was taken off the field and was then sent for an MRI scan.

Sajid Khan was then added to the Pakistan squad for the Australia Tests to provide a cover for the injured mystery spinner.

For the unversed, Abrar was the first Pakistan player to suffer an injury on the Australian shores while Khurram Shahzad and Noman Ali became the latest victims.

Both Khurram and Noman have been ruled out of the entirety of the series while Abrar is still in race to attain complete fitness before the third Test.

Pakistan Test squad

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sajid Khan.

READ: Mohammad Nawaz replaces Noman Ali for Australia Tests

Right-arm off-spinner Sajid Khan is reportedly likely to be called up to Pakistan’s Test squad in Australia ahead of the first Test, commencing on December 14 in Perth.

Reports suggest that Sajid Khan was contacted by team management to prepare himself after spin bowler Abrar Ahmed suffered an injury on the third day of a four-day game against Prime Minister’s XI.

Abrar Ahmed complained of discomfort in his right leg after bowling eight overs on the third day and was taken off the field.

Following his complaint, Abrar Ahmed was sent for an MRI scan. Further details will be shared in due course after the medical panel assesses the MRI reports.

The selection committee will take a final decision on Sajid Khan’s inclusion after Abrar Ahmed’s MRI reports.

The four-day game was scheduled as part of Pakistan’s preparation ahead of their three-match Test series against Australia.

The Prime Minister’s XI is currently trailing Pakistan by just 24 runs after the third day of the four-day game against Pakistan, courtesy of Matt Renshaw’s unbeaten century.

Prime Minister’s XI resumed from their score of 149-2 in 60 overs with Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green on the crease.

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Right-arm seamer Faheem Ashraf provided the first breakthrough of the day for Pakistan, dismissing Green (46) to break the 86-run stand.

Nathan McSweeney then joined Renshaw on the crease and they stitched a commanding partnership of 120 runs, mounting pressure on the Pakistan bowlers as the trail steadily decreased.

Imam-ul-Haq claimed the second first-class wicket of his career as Mir Hamza took a stunning catch to help break the formidable partnership.

McSweeney walked back to the pavilion after scoring 40 from 105 deliveries, including three fours.

Renshaw batted through the day to reduce the trail for the Prime Minister’s XI, bringing it down to just 24.

His undefeated knock of 136 from 337 balls, including eight boundaries and a six, made sure Pakistan bowlers toiled throughout the day.

Prime Minister’s XI will start Day four in a commanding position with the unbeaten centurion Renshaw and Beau Webster (21 not out, 86b, 1×6) on the crease.

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