Abrar Ahmed (born 11 September 1998) is a Pakistani
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er and
leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called a leg spinner. Leg spinners bowl with their right-arm and a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery is called a leg break, which spins fr ...
bowler. Ahmed was called up to the
Pakistan national cricket team
The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...
in December 2022 for the series against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
at home. On 9 December 2022, he made his Test debut against England in the 2nd Test match of the series in Multan, where he took 7 wickets for 114 runs in England's first innings and 4 for 120 in the second for a 10-wicket haul in his maiden Test.
Early life
Born in
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, Ahmed is the youngest among eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters), with his brother Shahzad Khan previously playing as a fast bowler for
National Bank. He is a
hafiz, having memorized the entire
Qur'an
The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
.
He has cited his elder brother as the reason his talent was recognised early on in
tape ball cricket. Ahmed describes his mother and siblings as supportive from the beginning, but his father was eventually won over too and is now also supportive of his career. Upon being asked on his father's stance in a 2023 interview, he responded that his father is "very happy now".
An ethnic
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...
of the
Swati
Swati may refer to
Films
* ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film
* ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film
* '' Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Viswanath
* '' Swati Kiranam'', a 1992 ...
tribe, his family moved to Karachi from
Shinkiari, a small village located on the outskirts of
Mansehra
Mansehra (Urdu, ) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. By population, it is the List of largest cities in Pakistan, 71st largest city in the country and the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, ...
in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
.
Domestic career
A product of the
Rashid Latif
Rashid Latif (born 14 October 1968), is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team in Tests and One Day Internationals from 1992 to 2003 as a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. He also serv ...
Academy, he made his
Twenty20
Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
debut for
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings (; ) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, and was formed in 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Boar ...
on 10 February 2017 in the
2017 Pakistan Super League
The 2017 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 2 or, for sponsorship reasons, HBL PSL 2017), was the second season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2016. On ...
.
He made his
first-class debut on 20 November 2020, for
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
, in the
2020–21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The 2020–21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was a first-class domestic cricket competition that took place in Karachi, Pakistan, from 25 October 2020 to 5 January 2021. Central Punjab cricket team were the defending champions. Central Punjab started thei ...
.
In October 2021, he was named in the
Pakistan Shaheens
The Pakistan A cricket team, or Pakistan Shaheens, is a national cricket team representing Pakistan. It is the second-tier of international Pakistan cricket, below the full Pakistan national cricket team. Matches played by Pakistan A are not cons ...
squad for their tour of Sri Lanka. He made his
List A
List A cricket is a classification of the Limited overs cricket, limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competit ...
debut on 11 November 2021, for the Pakistan Shaheens against the
Sri Lanka A cricket team
The Sri Lanka A cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. It is the second-tier of international Sri Lankan cricket, below the full Sri Lanka national cricket team. Matches played by Sri Lanka A are not considered to be Test ...
.
Ahmed was picked by
Islamabad United
Islamabad United () is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and was formed in 2015 to compete in the first ...
at the draft for the
2023 Pakistan Super League
2023 Pakistan Super League (referred to as Habib Bank Limited, HBL PSL 8 for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) i ...
. Ahead of the
2024 Pakistan Super League
The 2024 Pakistan Super League (referred to as HBL PSL 9 for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League. Established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015 as a franchise Twenty20 cricket league, it was played be ...
, he was traded to the
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Gladiators won and became the champions in PSL ...
.
International career
In December 2022, Ahmed made his debut for
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in the 2nd Test of the
series against England. He became the first Pakistani bowler to take a 5-wicket haul in the first session on Test debut, taking 7 for 114 overall in the first innings and 4 for 120 in the second.
He also became the
thirteenth Pakistani bowler to take five-wicket haul on Test debut.
He was then named in the Pakistan squad for the Test series in the
series against New Zealand, and in the first innings of the first Test he picked up another
5 wicket haul
In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batter.
Taking ...
.
In May 2024, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the
2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Cricket West Indies and USA Cricket from 1 to 29 June 2024. It was the first major ICC tournament to include matches played in the United ...
tournament.
Ahmed made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on November 26, 2024, at Bulawayo. He took 4 wickets for 33 runs, helping Pakistan restrict Zimbabwe to 145 runs and equalize the series 1–1.
Injury
Abrar Ahmed endured a prolonged injury attributed to negligence in following medical instructions. Diagnosed with Sciatica during the ICC World Cup 2023, characterized by leg pain and numbness, Abrar failed to adhere to the prescribed recovery plan, worsening his condition. The injury occurred during a practice match in Australia, leading to his exclusion from the Test series. Currently undergoing rehabilitation at Lahore's National Cricket Academy, Abrar will miss Pakistan's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, emphasizing the impact of non-compliance with medical directives on his playing career.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Abrar
1998 births
Living people
Pashtun cricketers
Pakistani cricketers
Pakistan Test cricketers
Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers
21st-century Pakistani sportsmen
Karachi cricketers
Karachi Whites cricketers
Karachi Kings cricketers
Sindh cricketers
Peshawar Zalmi cricketers
Tape ball cricketers
People from Mansehra District
Cricketers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Pakistan One Day International cricketers
Islamabad United cricketers