Mohammad Abbas continues to enjoy county stint as he completes 500 wickets in first-class cricket

Mohammad Abbas continues to enjoy county stint as he completes 500 wickets in first-class cricket

Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas continues to enjoy his stint in County Cricket as he completed his 500 wickets in first-class cricket.

Abbas completed this feat against Gloucestershire with his figures of 4 for 41 in the ongoing County Championship. Recently, he had returned with figures of 9 for 39 against Middlesex, which also included a five-wicket in the first innings and a hat-trick.

The nine wickets against Middlesex had left his first-class wickets tally at 497, which was now completed against Gloucestershire. With this feat, he becomes the 21st bowler from Pakistan to take 500 or more wickets in first-class cricket.

Abbas was left out of the Pakistan Test squad for their home series against South Africa following a dip in his wicket-taking ability. According to Pakistan’s Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim, Abbas was ‘lacking the bite’ which had given him plenty of success in his short Test career.

In an interview with Cricinfo just recently, Abbas was confident that he’ll be recalled to the Pakistan Test side after getting dropped for the home series against South Africa. “I know I still have a lot to offer and Pakistan needs an experienced bowler,” he said. “There is a lot of Test cricket coming up later this year and next year, and I think I can contribute.

“This ongoing County Championship is a big opportunity for me to revive myself. I know people often talk about my pace, and I had few words with Umar Gul, and he suggested me to bowl with the older ball as much as I can to generate more pace,” he remarked.