‘I’m always fighting myself’: Mohammad Abbas on Notts, Pakistan and Guardiola’s hotel room

“Yes, this is true,” says Mohammad Abbas, matter-of-factly, during a chat astatine Trent Bridge. The question concerns the clip Manchester City supposedly asked for Pep Guardiola to beryllium billeted successful the penthouse astatine Hampshire’s on-site edifice earlier a lucifer successful Southampton – lone to beryllium told a much important impermanent was successful town.

“I didn’t cognize astir it astatine the clip but our caput manager told maine the adjacent greeting that helium had wanted my room,” Abbas says of Guardiola. “The Hilton emailed the Hampshire absorption to inquire if it was imaginable but they were told no, I would beryllium spending six months there. So that was what happened.”

It is simply a chill communicative and successful fairness, Abbas did plentifulness to merit VIP presumption astatine the club. Over the people of 4 seasons helium finessed 180 wickets astatine 19.26 runs apiece which, pursuing 79 astatine a akin mean for Leicestershire, cemented his assertion to beryllium 1 of – if not the – starring exponents of seam-up successful the County Championship. Abbas successful afloat travel is simply a spot similar a Guardiola team: Swiss timepiece accuracy allied with Swiss service weapon skills.

The numbers and the excellence of execution made Hampshire’s determination to merchandise Abbas past wintertime a astonishment one, with Nottinghamshire – his intended destination successful 2020 earlier Covid intervened – speedy to drawback up the 35-year-old connected a six-match deal. This prompted speculation arsenic to whether Hampshire’s caller owners, India’s GMR Group, did not privation a Pakistani cricketer connected their books but Abbas is having nary of it.

“No, that’s not why,” says Abbas, caller from giving Haseeb Hameed, his caller captain, a workout successful the nets earlier his archetypal outing against his erstwhile employers. “James Vince had stopped playing four-day cricket and they said they needed a batter for an overseas player; truthful a spot of a restructure. We had bully connection astir it and they are bully people. Still they are messaging maine and I americium messaging them. They are fantastic.”

We could spell deeper connected India-Pakistan cricket relations successful a week erstwhile the fallout from the Pahalgam violent onslaught has escalated dramatically. But it is simply a highly delicate taxable and Abbas, it soon transpires aft a question astir having not played since March, is inactive coping with tragic quality of his ain backmost home.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas celebrates taking the wicket of Joe Root during the 2018 Lord’s Test. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

“The past 3 months person been precise hard for my family,” helium says. “Both my member and sister passed away, truthful I took a break. My sister was joined past June and passed due to the fact that of [complications with her] pregnancy. My member was a kidney diligent for the past year. We had a program for his transplant but helium passed distant conscionable earlier Eid.”

Abbas says his family’s symptom is starting to settee and helium wants to beryllium nonrecreational for his caller team. Playing successful the East Midlands, with its ample Pakistani community, is different root of comfort, portion determination is besides a gag that staying successful Pakistan overmuch longer would not person been bully for his fitness. “Too overmuch fatty food,” helium says with a smile. “When you spell to conscionable your relatives, they are conscionable inviting you to devour these things.”

Though into his mid-30s, Abbas is simply a remarkably lithe and durable bowler, specified that helium is laser focused connected playing for a bully portion yet. Given his region exploits and 8 wickets to acceptable up a memorable Test triumph astatine Lord’s successful 2018, Pakistan’s bid successful England adjacent summertime is, unsurprisingly, a target.

Abbas, though, pushes backmost astatine the conception of being a Dukes shot oregon adjacent red-ball specialist, insisting helium is simply a bowler for each surfaces, each formats. Here helium begins reeling disconnected his ain figures to backmost it up, bringing to caput different meticulous overseas pro for Nottinghamshire successful Sir Richard Hadlee.

First travel his 775 first-class wickets astatine conscionable a tick implicit 20, earlier a reminder of the challenging surfaces astatine location connected which much than fractional disconnected those person come. Then comes the Test bowling mean of 23.18 that, of the 20 Pakistanis to instrumentality 100 oregon much Test wickets, is 2nd lone to Imran Khan. “I americium ever warring myself,” helium says, erstwhile asked astir his motivations. “I’m ever trying to bushed my vocation champion things.”

The question present is wherefore Abbas, connected precisely 100 Test wickets and a home great, has not won much than his 27 caps. “It is hard, arsenic a quality being,” helium says. “But unluckily our management, coaches and captains alteration each six months oregon year. I don’t cognize astir the mindset of these guys but possibly they wanted to springiness a accidental to youngsters. Also, we bash not play capable Test matches. That is the main problem.”

Mohammad Abbas – past of Hampshire – celebrates the wicket of Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore successful past year’s County Championship. Photograph: Dave Vokes/Shutterstock

Another origin successful caller times is the surfaces Pakistan person been preparing for Test cricket, with their 2-1 bid triumph against England past October achieved via bespoke fertile turners connected which the spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali shared 39 wickets successful 2 outings. After a three-year hiatus, Abbas returned to play the 2 Tests successful South Africa that followed, nipping retired 10 wickets with the Kookaburra shot and showing singular endurance, lone to beryllium overlooked astatine location to West Indies 3 weeks later.

“Most teams are looking for location advantage,” Abbas says. “But I deliberation this [approach] is not bully for the aboriginal of accelerated bowling successful Pakistan. I deliberation the coaching unit is going to alteration again soon. I don’t cognize what they person planned for the adjacent year.”

Another suspicion is that gait has been a factor, with Abbas typically operating successful the debased 80s connected the velocity weapon and chiefly outskilling his opponents. It brings america connected to the taxable of Sam Cook, a akin medium-fast “nip” bowler who is poised to marque his England debut this period and subordinate thing of a inclination towards the quicker men.

Abbas says: “My proposal is conscionable to vessel the aforesaid arsenic helium does successful region cricket, to enactment calm, support to his basics and assurance volition grow. The astir important happening is to cognize who you are arsenic a bowler and not effort to beryllium thing you are not.”

Coming from a bowler truthful celebrated helium erstwhile denied Manchester City’s manager a penthouse suite, it feels similar a pep speech worthy listening to.