From a factory worker to representing Pakistan at the Lord's - The fascinating journey of Mohammad Abbas

Two things that bind India and Pakistan quite closely is the riveting political history and their undying love for the gentleman’s game. This love is what paves a way to some exhilarating and soul-stirring stories which shall remain alive for an eternity and continue to inspire the generations to come.

One such story is of Mohammad Abbas, who right now is ripping the English batting lineup apart at the Mecca of Cricket, The Lord’s. The fast bowler is now enjoying a life where he’s able to do what he loves, but it took a lot of sweating for him to get to this stage.

Born on 10 March 1990 in a small village named Jethi of district Sambrial (Sialkot, Punjab), the early days of his life were not very joyous. But the lad grew up watching some of the greatest fast bowlers of all time like Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock and saw them as an inspiration to bowl fast.

His early education and baby steps in cricket took place in Jethi. The more he started learning about the game, his desire to don the Green jersey for Pakistan escalated rapidly. But he had some other family responsibilities to fulfil as well and his road to becoming a cricketer was not an easy path.

Started working in a welding and leather factory

Abbas was the eldest son and at a very young age, he was expected to earn bread for his family. He didn’t shy away from that and started working in a welding and leather factory. An incredible performance in the Quaid e Azam trophy at this point in time made him contemplate leaving the country to take the game more seriously, but he prioritized his family.

He also worked for registering properties at the court for a couple of years. But then, life always throws a lemon at you at an unexpected juncture. His career started taking an interesting turn when he got an opportunity to play for the district U19 side. His lawyer friends didn’t allow him initially to participate in that tournament as his age was well above 19, but eventually, he participated and made his mark.

It took him a lot of time to break into the Pakistan International side, but with his exploits at the domestic levels, he wasn’t knocking the selectors’ doors, he was breaking them open. At the age of 27, he made his Test debut against West Indies and is now a crucial member of the side.

Talking about how he approaches the game, he said “It does not really matter how the cricket is, you still will have to put in efforts. While I am bowling, I steer clear of the batsman’s weaknesses and strengths which make it easier for me to oust my opposition.”

It really was a topsy-turvy ride for Mohammad Abbas towards quenching his thirst to play for Pakistan. But as he said above, one’s efforts always will reciprocate in a good way, maybe not the way we expect it to.

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