PAK vs ENG 2nd Test-Abrar Ahmed 7 wickets: Before the start of the Multan Test, not many knew who Abrar Ahmed was. Well, by the time Day 1 of the second Test ended, the leg spinner had become the talk of the cricket fraternity. The right-arm leggie picked up a 7-fer against England, and that too on his debut. He emerged as England’s tormentor-in-chief, and with his memorable performance, he also put Pakistan in a strong position. Watch PAK ENG LIVE Streaming on SonyLIV & Follow PAK vs ENG LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
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The 24-year-old became the 13th Pakistan bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul on his test debut. Ahmed’s seven-wicket haul is the best bowling figure for a Pakistan spinner in Test cricket. He finished the first inning with figures of 7/114.
PAK vs ENG 2nd Test: Who is Abrar Ahmed?: England’s Tormentor-in-Chief in Multan picks up 7-fer on debut: Follow Live Updates
Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed spins a web around England batsmen
The young spinner was handed over his Test cap by Pakistan bowling coach Saqlain Mushtaq. Abrar didn’t let his coach down and emerged as the star of the opening day in Multan.
England opener Zak Crawley was Abrar Ahmed’s maiden test wicket. The debutant followed it up with wickets from Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Will Jacks. Mohammad Zahid currently holds the best figures of any Pakistan bowler on Test debut. The pacer took 7/66 against New Zealand in Rawalpindi in 1996. Mohammad Nazir has the second-best bowling figures for Pakistan with 7/99 against New Zealand in 1969.
A part of history 🙌
Memorable first day of Test cricket for Abrar Ahmed 🌟#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/pD3qBd10iz
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022
A terrific achievement on debut 🙌
Adulations for Abrar Ahmed 🌟#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/kCRUF1QrEc
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022
Coming to the best overall bowling figures, Australia’s Albert Edwin Trott has the best bowling figures. The slow right-arm bowlers picked up 8/43 against England in 1895 at Adelaide. Here’s the list of the other bowlers with best bowling figures on Test debut.
Best Bowling figures on Test debut
- 1972: Robert Massie 8/53 for Australia against England
- 1988: Narendra Hirwani 8/61 for India against West Indies in Chennai
- 1988: Narendra Hirwani 8/75 for India against West Indies in Chennai
- 1996: Lance Klusener 8/64 for South Africa against India at Eden Gardens
- 1950: Alfred Valentine 8/104 for West Indies against England at Manchester
Unravelling the mystery around Abrar Ahmed
Abrar Ahmed hails from a small village called Shinkiari in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He made his first-class debut for Sindh in 2020 against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He currently has 76 wickets in 26 first-class innings at an average of 25.56.
The 24-year-old was called up to the Pakistan team following an impressive run in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23. The youngster finished the season with 43 wickets in seven matches at an average of 21.95. He was also awarded the best bowler of the tournament award.
