"He used to point out mistakes in Saqlain bhai's bowling" - Abrar Ahmed's brother on how cricket came naturally to him
Debutant Abrar Ahmed starred with the ball for Pakistan on Day 1 of the second Test against England that got underway at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, December 9.
Abrar, who was one of the three changes made by the hosts for the game, played a key role, returning with figures of 7/114 from 22 overs. Riding on his brilliance, Pakistan managed to restrict the tourists to 281.
Meanwhile, cricket came very early to Abrar. When India toured Pakistan in 2003-04 and Virender Sehwag ran riot during his 309-run knock in Multan against Saqlain Mushtaq, Abrar pointed out the spinner's mistakes. Saqlain is currently the head coach of Pakistan.
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Alhamdulillah Ya-Allah tera shukar hai - Writing name on the honours board ✍️ great achievment for me 🙏🏻
#abrarahmed #PAKvENG @TheRealPCB https://t.co/3fAABbJ8hc
His elder brother Sajid Ahmed, a fast bowler, shed light on how Abrar picked up cricket at the early age of six. Speaking to Indian Express, he stated:
“I still remember it was the Multan Test, where Virender Sehwag smashed that triple hundred, and he attacked Saqlain Mushtaq the most. Abrar was about six, and he used to point out mistakes in Saqlain bhai’s bowling.
"My father got so annoyed because of his running commentary that he locked him in another room."
18 years down the line, Abrar became only the third Pakistan bowler to pick up seven wickets in an innings on his Test debut.
"Ye kaun hai, kabhi naam nahi suna" - Abrar Ahmed when asked about Abdul Qadir
"My favourite wicket is Ben Stokes - my favourite player" ☺️
What a debut for Abrar Ahmed 🤩🙌
#PAKvENG https://t.co/60nQez9k8D
Five years ago, Abrar Ahmed grabbed headlines, picking up 53 wickets in Zonal U-19 in Karachi. In 2017, he became one of the emerging picks in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) when Karachi Kings availed his service.
During that time, Sajid recalled how Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan spinner who was then the coach of the Pakistan National Cricket Academy, had asked Abrar about Abdul Qadir. Sajid revealed:
"Do you know who is Abdul Qadir?" Ahmed asked to which Abrar replied, "Ye kaun hai, kabhi naam nahi suna (Who is he, never heard his name)."
"Everyone started laughing and Mushtaq bhai told him 'You've registered yourself as a leg-spinner and you don't know about the greatest we ever produced," he added. "When he narrated this story to us, we also started laughing. Bachpan se itni deewangi cricket ko le kar aur itne bade legend ko nahi jaanta (He was so passionate about cricket since childhood, but had no clue about such a legend)."
Meanwhile, it's still early days for Abrar, who needs to do a lot of grinding to attain legendary status in international cricket.