UAE vs PAK | Fakhar-Abrar rule roost in Sharjah to set tri-series finale date with Afghanistan
Pakistan bounced back from their defeat against Afghanistan with a 31-run thumping of the United Arab Emirates at Sharjah on Thursday to secure their berth in the tri-series final. An eplosive 77 from Fakhar Zaman set the UAE a target of 172 before Abrar Ahmed scalped four to trip up the chase.
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International career
Abrar Ahmed, born on September 11, 1998, is a cricketer from Pakistan who bowls leg spin. He was called up to the national cricket team in December 2022 for the series against England. On December 9, 2022, he played his first Test match in Multan during the second match of the series. In that game, Abrar took 7 wickets for 114 runs in England's first innings and 4 wickets for 120 runs in the second innings. He finished with 10 wickets on his debut Test.
Abrar Ahmed faced a serious injury during the ICC World Cup 2023. He was diagnosed with Sciatica, which caused pain and numbness in his leg. He did not follow the recovery plan given to him, which made the injury worse. The injury happened during a practice match in Australia, which led to his removal from the Test series. Abrar is now in rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. As a result, he will not play in Pakistan's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. This shows how important it is for players to follow medical advice for their career.
2022
- Test Debut: Abrar Ahmed started his Test career for Pakistan on December 9, 2022, against England in Multan. He took 7 wickets for 114 runs in the first innings and 4 for 120 in the second innings, finishing with 10 wickets in his first Test match.
- Test Highlights: He became the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets in the first session of a Test match on debut. Abrar was the 13th Pakistani bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut.
2023
- Injury: Abrar Ahmed missed the 2023 ICC World Cup due to a back injury. He could not play in the tournament.
- Test Performances: Despite the injury, Abrar continued to shine in Test cricket, with a five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Karachi. His strong performances helped Pakistan in their Test series win against Sri Lanka.
2024
- ODI Debut: Abrar made his ODI debut for Pakistan on November 26, 2024, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. He took 4 wickets for 33 runs, helping Pakistan win the match and level the series 1–1.
- T20I Debut: Abrar played his first T20I match for Pakistan on April 18, 2024, against New Zealand at Rawalpindi.
- T20 World Cup: Abrar was named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
2025
- ODI and T20I Performances: Abrar continued to perform well in ODIs and T20Is. He played in matches against India and other teams.
- Champions Trophy: Abrar was part of Pakistan’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He was the only frontline spinner in the squad.
- Test Stats: Abrar has played 10 Test matches, taking 46 wickets at an average of 34.35. His best bowling performance in Tests is 7 wickets for 114 runs.
- ODI Stats: In ODIs, Abrar has played 9 matches, taking 15 wickets at an average of 26.93. His best ODI performance is 4 wickets for 33 runs.
- T20I Stats: In T20Is, Abrar has played 10 matches, taking 14 wickets at an average of 18.57. His best T20I performance is 3 wickets for 28 runs.
Fitness Challenges:
- Abrar has faced injuries throughout his career. A back injury kept him out of the game for several years. In 2023-24, a leg injury ruled him out of Pakistan’s Test series in Australia. However, with Yasir Shah retired and Shadab Khan still not performing well in red-ball cricket, Abrar remains Pakistan’s key leg-spinner.
Ranking:
- Abrar Ahmed is ranked 50th in the ICC Test bowling rankings with 409 points and 57th in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with 456 points.
Leagues Participation
Abrar Ahmed has played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from 2017. He started with Karachi Kings, played for Peshawar Zalmi in 2021, joined Islamabad United in 2023, and is currently with Quetta Gladiators from 2024.
Pakistan Super League
Abrar Ahmed started playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2017. He first played for Karachi Kings but had to miss a year after injuring his back. He later joined Peshawar Zalmi, then played for Islamabad United in 2023. In 2024, he was traded to Quetta Gladiators.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2017-2019
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Karachi Kings
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Debuted on February 10, 2017. Missed a year due to a back injury after playing two matches.
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2021
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Peshawar Zalmi
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Played 2 matches, took 3 wickets in one game, but only played 2 matches in total.
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2023
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Islamabad United
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Picked by Islamabad United in the draft. Played three matches but did not perform well.
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2024-present
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Quetta Gladiators
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Traded to Quetta Gladiators for 2024 PSL. Took 16 wickets from 10 matches, ranking third for most wickets in the tournament.
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Domestic career
Abrar Ahmed started his career at the Rashid Latif Academy. He played his first T20 match for Karachi Kings on 10 February 2017 in the Pakistan Super League. His first-class debut came on 20 November 2020 for Sindh in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In October 2021, he joined Pakistan Shaheens for their tour of Sri Lanka. He played his first List A match on 11 November 2021 against Sri Lanka A.
In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-2023, Abrar performed well for Sindh, taking 43 wickets in seven matches. He was named the best player of the tournament. He was picked by Islamabad United for the 2023 Pakistan Super League. For the 2024 PSL, he was traded to the Quetta Gladiators.
Other Leagues
Abrar Ahmed signed with the San Francisco Unicorns for the second season of Major League Cricket (MCL) in the United States in June 2024. This marks his involvement in a major global T20 league outside Pakistan.
Records and achievements
Abrar Ahmed has achieved notable success in his cricket career.
- He is ranked 50th in the ICC Test bowling rankings with 409 points.
- He holds the 57th position in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with 456 points.
- In the 2022-2023 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he won the Best Bowler award after taking 43 wickets in seven matches, with an average of 21.95.
- Abrar made his Test debut for Pakistan on 9 December 2022 against England. He became the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets in the first session on his Test debut.
- He is part of the Pakistan team for the 2025 Champions Trophy and is the only frontline bowler in the squad.
Personal life
Abrar Ahmed is a well-known Pakistani cricketer with a supportive family and some memorable moments in his career. His background, personal life, and his influence on fans have sparked attention.
Finance
As of 2025, Abrar Ahmed's net worth is 1 million US dollars.
Family
Abrar was born in Karachi. He is the youngest of eight siblings, which includes five brothers and three sisters. His older brother, Shahzad Khan, was a fast bowler for National Bank. Abrar is a hafiz, meaning he has memorized the entire Qur'an. He credits his older brother for recognizing his talent early in tape-ball cricket. His mother and siblings have supported him from the start, and his father is now also very proud of his career. In a 2023 interview, Abrar shared that his father is now "very happy" with his career.
The family is from the Swati tribe of Pashtuns. They moved to Karachi from Shinkiari, a village near Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Scandals
In March 2024, Abrar Ahmed faced a fine of 5% of his match fee for breaching the Pakistan Super League Code of Conduct. During a match, he rolled the ball on the ground while fielding in the 19th over of the first innings, against the referee's instructions.
Fans
During a match between India and Pakistan, Abrar gestured at Shubman Gill to leave the field, which led to criticism from Indian fans. Many mocked him on social media with memes. He has 29k followers on Instagram.
