Young Pakistani spin bowler Abrar Ahmed is making history on his test debut. After giving a stellar performance during the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and consistently performing in domestic cricket, the youngster was given a chance in the second test in Pakistan vs England test series.
While England thrashed Pakistani bowlers in the first test, it looks like this day is for the Pakistani bowlers and especially for the young Abrar. Being called the mystery spinner, Abrar rocked the dominating English batting side and got his very first 5-wicket haul in the first session on his debut.
Truly magical, he is now the 13th bowler to pick a 5-wicket haul on his debut day. The magic was witnessed in the Multan Cricket Stadium as Abrar made history. Putting Pakistan on the front foot for the 2nd test in the three-test series, Abrar is also the first Pakistani bowler who has picked up 5 wickets in the very first session on his Test debut. By the time lunch was over, Abrar took 2 more wickets and turned his debut into the most successful!
Abrar Ahmed is the first bowler in Pakistan's Test history to take 5 wickets in the first session on Test debut. The only other Pakistan bowler to take 5 wickets on his first day in Test cricket is Wahab Riaz, also vs England, at The Oval in 2010. #PakvEng
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) December 9, 2022
The last Pakistani bowler to have done that was Wahab Riaz, who picked up his 5 wickets against England on his debut in 2010 during a test match at the Oval.
Whose Wickets Did He Take?
Abrar Ahmed took all the big wickets in the first session. He worked the ball beautifully and made the ball spin incredibly well. Even Mohammad Rizwan was surprised behind the wickets and the commentators were in love with him.
In the first session, he took out:
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
He took out these maestros of the bat before the lunch session. After the lunch session, Abrar struck twice more and took out:
- Ben Stokes
- Will Jacks
The moment Abrar Ahmed completed a dream five-for before lunch on his first day of Test cricket ?
(?: @TheRealPCB) #PAKvENGpic.twitter.com/02S8kfZWDT
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 9, 2022
Right now, Abrar has the potential to create a record. If he takes one more wicket, he can create history for the best bowling figures for a Pakistani bowler on debut.
At the moment, the record is held by Mohammad Zahid, a former pacer who took 7 wickets for 66 runs against New Zealand in 1996. However, that is a Pakistani record. Albert Trott holds the best record of 8 wickets for 43 runs in 189.
2️⃣2️⃣ overs
1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣ runs
7️⃣ wicketsMan of the moment Abrar Ahmed! ✨#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/zLaPtG5unr
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2022
Only time will tell if Abrar can become the first Pakistani bowler to take 8 wickets on his test debut. The England team was bowled out for 281, with Zahid Mehmood taking the remaining 3 wickets. Abrar ended the first session of his debut test match with 7 wickets in 22 overs of which one was a maiden over. He conceded a total of 114 runs with an economy of 5.18 runs per over.
