After a three-year hiatus from Test cricket, Mohammad Abbas returned to the Pakistan squad with a bang in the first Test of the tour of South Africa, taking seven wickets including a second innings six-fer to bring Pakistan within inches of notching up a memorable victory in Centurion.
Although a rearguard effort from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen meant that the Proteas scored a two-wicket victory, Abbas’ heroics on day four at SuperSport Park meant that a fairly simple chase was made extremely complicated for the hosts. Abbas finished with figures of 6-54 in 19.3 overs.
Abbas put in a heroic effort on his return to Test cricket, and with his non-selection having been a major point of contention against the PCB and Pakistan management in recent years, his former teammate Mohammad Amir used social media to let his thoughts be known.
Posting on X, Amir wrote: “Woh coaches ko samne le k ayo jinho ne Abbas ko pace ki wajah se bahir kar diya (Bring those coaches up who removed Abbas because of his pace.) Or Abbas ko 3 saal lage comeback me (And took Abbas three years for the comeback.) Slap on their faces.”
Hero’s effort: 15 consecutive overs from Abbas
In an extended marathon spell of 15 overs, Abbas was consistently threatening and on the money. Having dismissed Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs late on day three, Abbas returned and accounted for the massive wickets of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma, bringing Pakistan back into the contest, before putting their noses in front by also dismissing David Bedingham and first innings half-centurion Corbin Bosch. His wickets saw South Africa collapse from 96-4 to 99-8.
Abbas was one of the players who Pakistan fans have wanted to see return to the international setup for several months, with the pacer holding a phenomenal average of 20.63 in his First Class career. Since 2021, Abbas has represented Hampshire with great distinction in the County Championship, taking 180 wickets for that team at an average of under 20.
Despite bowling during the entire morning session and beyond, Abbas was unshakingly consistent in his lines and lengths, troubling the South African batters despite a relative lack of pace. While he received plaudits for his effort and skill, a counter-attack by Jansen and Rabada meant an inspired 51-run partnership by the duo guided South Africa home and to the World Test Championship finals.
After an incredible Test match to round out the year, the second match of the series will be the New Year’s Day Test in Cape Town. The Proteas have already sealed a WTC final spot with this win, but Pakistan will gain a lot of confidence from their performance in Centurion and look to start 2025 on a good note.
