Mohammad Abbas explains drop in Pakistan bowlers form, addresses pace misconceptions

JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas has addressed several pressing topics, shedding light on his bowling pace, the fitness of emerging fast bowlers, and the state of Test cricket.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Abbas took the opportunity to clarify misconceptions about his bowling speed. He pointed out that despite his success, his pace has never been exceptionally high. 

"Look, in my opinion, if you check my best performances in Test cricket, the highlights are available on YouTube, and you can see that I never bowled at 145, 150, or 140 km/h. I usually bowled around 130 km/h. And most of my wickets, whether in Dubai, the West Indies, or England, were taken at a pace of around 125 to 130 km/h. Every bowler is different — some deliver the ball at the same pace as it leaves their hand, while for others, the ball slows down a bit after pitching. Some bowlers are faster off the seam, so even if they release the ball at 125 km/h, it skids off the pitch, making it feel like 140 km/h to the batsman. Different bowlers have their own techniques and skills," Abbas said.

The right-arm pacer also gave valuable advice to the younger generation of fast bowlers, including Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, and Khurram Shahzad.

"As for the other bowlers, Naseem has gotten injured, Khurram has also gotten injured, and Shaheen is dealing with some issues as well. They need to work a bit on their fitness, and I’m doing the same. We also need to work a little on biomechanics at the National Cricket Academy," he said.

"In Test cricket, you have to endure tough times — fielding all day, bowling all day — it’s not easy at all. Even though they play 14 matches here in 6 months, their discipline is excellent. First, you get the schedule 4 months in advance, and then they facilitate you in between. After that, the fast bowlers take care of themselves. But, as I mentioned earlier, we need to respect four-day cricket and provide proper support for it. As professional fast bowlers, we'll need to bowl long spells," he added.

Reflecting on the state of Test cricket, Abbas highlighted the necessity of playing four-day matches to maintain form.

"When did we last play Test cricket? In January. And after that, how many four-day matches did our bowlers play? After that, it’s been mostly white-ball cricket. Then we came in August, played one or two four-day practice matches, and then went straight into Test cricket. So, I think our players, especially the bowlers who want to play Test cricket, and those the management is considering, should play as much domestic four-day cricket as possible and give it the respect it deserves. Just like we highlight white-ball T20 cricket, we need to respect four-day cricket in the same way. If we provide the same facilities, our Test cricket will improve," he said.

Discussing Pakistan’s recent Test campaign against Bangladesh, the 34-year-old expressed disappointment over missed opportunities. 

"To be honest, I couldn’t watch the entire match but was checking the scorecard. I woke up early in the morning and saw that we had taken 6 wickets for just 26 runs, so I was very happy and excited. I thought, ‘Well done, boys, let’s not let them get away from here.’ But when you take the team down, you shouldn’t let them recover, and once they do, they don’t get out again. So, the result we saw was because we made mistakes. At that time, we should have been focused on taking more wickets even after getting 6 out. We needed to bowl with more discipline and increase the number of maiden overs to prevent them from scoring big. On paper, 250 isn’t a big score, but considering that they managed to score 250 after being 26 for 6, it turned out to be a significant score," he said.

Finally, Abbas expressed his gratitude to fans who continue to remember him and reaffirmed his commitment to his country.

"Thanks to the fans and people who still remember me, but the one thing I have in my hands is hard work, and I am doing it. If the PCB and management call me for Pakistan, I am available for my country," he concluded.