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Abrar credits HBL PSL for his growth in white-ball formats

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Lahore, 26 April 2025: Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed is representing Quetta Gladiators for second consecutive HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season.

While the HBL PSL has entered its 10th edition, Abrar has been part of the five editions as he burst on to the scene for Karachi Kings in the HBL PSL 2017 as a rookie in an emerging category.

Abrar’s heroics for the Karachi Region Whites U19 in 2016 iteration of the PCB Regional U19 three-day (27 wickets in seven matches) and one-day competitions (17 wickets in eight matches) earned him a spot in Karachi Kings squad for the second edition of the HBL PSL.

Talking to the PCB digital about his journey, Abrar said, “I played for Karachi Kings in the HBL PSL season two in 2017 and it was straight after playing U19 regional cricket. Muhammad Masroor was my coach in Karachi Region Whites U19 and he was also part of the Kings’ team management, which helped me immensely in settling down in the franchise.

“As a teenager I felt great after being picked up in HBL PSL as a youngster which I can’t describe in words. It was a refreshing experience but after that I had to stop playing the game for two years due to a back injury.

“Following the injury setback, playing longer form of the game helped get back to rhythm and form.”

In the 2024 HBL PSL season his haul of 16 wickets in 10 matches earned him Pakistan T20I cap against New Zealand at home. The ODI debut came in November 2024 against Zimbabwe.

Shedding light on his emergence as a white-ball player following his Test debut in December 2022, he remarked, “My first national call-up was in Pakistan’s T20I squad in September 2022 against England in the home series, but I couldn’t get a game.

“Then I made my Test debut after which the HBL PSL 2024 helped me showcase my white-ball skills. You can say the HBL PSL helped me break into the Pakistan white-ball squads especially T20I as I bowl with the new ball as well as old ball.”

Being a mystery spinner, Abrar brings a lot to the table with the ball delivering his canny carrom balls, googlies and leg-spinners, which help him deceive the batters in fast-paced T20 cricket.

“It is very important to have variations and then there are a lot of aspects of bowling according to which you employ your variations. For example, it is vital to note whether you are bowling into or against the air and the type of batter you are facing.

“Sometimes you have to also consider your field setting while tackling some of the batters. Despite having the mystery in my bowling, I still believe a lot of mental and tactical work is required to put brakes on run-flow and to grab wickets.”

Abrar represented Peshawar Zalmi in 2021 and Islamabad United in 2023 for two and three matches, respectively but Quetta have employed Abrar as a strike bowler in both the seasons, which has in turn provided him a chance to innovate, learn and grow as a white-ball player.

Talking about his time with the franchise, Abrar mentioned, “Representing Quetta Gladiators has been a great experience for me. I performed really well for Gladiators last year and was the leading wicket-taker for them. We have a good coaching staff including Sir Vivian Richards and that helps a lot. Saud Shakeel is our captain this season and I’m feeling really good playing for Quetta for the second consecutive season.”

When asked about his experience of sharing the dressing room with team director Sarfaraz Ahmed and skipper Saud Shakeel, Abrar responded, “I have played a lot of cricket with Saud Shakeel and Sarfaraz Ahmed especially in first-class tournaments.

“I’m enjoying my time with both of them here in Quetta Gladiators as well. The other person who I really enjoy being around is Shoaib Malik because I’m part of his Champions Cup side Stallions and shared the dressing room and field with him in the Champions Cup One-Day and T20 tournaments in 2024.”