Pakistan team pacer Mohammad Abbas has reached a major first-class cricket milestone on day one of the second Test against England.
On Day 1 of the 2nd Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Thursday, Abbas etched his name into Pakistan’s cricket history by becoming the fifth Pakistani fast bowler to reach 900 first-class wickets after dismissing England openers Emilio Gay and Ben Duckett during the opening session.
The extraordinary achievement arrived in Abbas’ 222nd first-class match. With this feat, he is now fifth in the list of bowlers with the most wickets in first-class cricket in the 21st century.
England’s James Anderson leads the list with 1157 wickets, while South Africa’s Simon Harmer has 1056, Sri Lanka’s Malinda Pushpakumara has 1010, and England’s Tim Murtagh has 959 wickets.
Abbas got his 900th wicket by dismissing England’s Duckett, before getting rid of Emilio.
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Emilio was the first batter to be dismissed by Mohammad Abbas. He departed on the last ball of the fifth over after scoring just eight runs off 17 balls he faced. He had hit two boundaries before getting out.
Duckett came next and scored 17 off 20 balls, hitting three boundaries before Abbas got him out.
Abbas has left his mark with a historic landmark; he joins an elite brotherhood of Pakistani pace bowling legends: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Sarfaraz Nawaz. These are not merely names in a record book; they are titans whose legacies have shaped the history of cricket itself.
At the stumps, England were reeling at 248/9 with Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue unbeaten on 34 and one, respectively.
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Written by Aleena Khan
Aleena is a sports writer at Sports Manch, with a keen interest in cricket and sports journalism. Her work focuses on creative storytelling, feature writing, and SEO content, with an emphasis on producing clear, engaging, and well-researched stories. She is passionate about exploring compelling sports narratives and continues to develop her skills as a versatile and impactful writer.