Green-top surfaces can tempt fast bowlers into trying too much, but Mohammad Abbas has often been at his best when he keeps the plan straightforward. After looking like he had taken on board the lessons from the opening day of the Test, Abbas returned on Day 2 to deliver a five-wicket haul. His spell helped the touring side dismiss Bangladesh for 413 in 117.1 overs, following the hosts’ restart at 301 for 4.
On the first day, Bangladesh’s batters—Najmul Hossain and Mominul Haque—had dealt with Abbas with relative ease. Hossain stood with patience just outside the line, while Mominul blunted the impact of Abbas’s gentle pace by staying deep in his crease and waiting as late as possible before committing to shots.
However, the right-arm seamer appeared to operate differently on the second day. Even when his short balls did not always look frightening because of the pace he generates, the combination of the delivery angle and the awkward bounce forced uncomfortable decisions. Bangladesh’s batters also found it difficult to settle against the movement through the air, and as pressure built, their composure slipped—leading to wickets at key moments.
Abbas, widely seen as a bowler who can keep things under control even when his speed sits in the 118–125 kph range, may not seem like a constant threat until you’re facing him in the middle. Yet on Day 2, he pulled the strings by pairing a dangerous angled-in ball that skids through from a good length with his more familiar outswinger, turning the match into a series of recurring problems for the Bangladesh batting group.
Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq believes the pace itself is not the main factor when it comes to Abbas. In his view, it is Abbas’s variations, along with his ability to keep the ball on the right line and length, that regularly places opponents at a disadvantage. “The strength of Abbas is that he does not give you anything. To be honest, I have played against him and I have played with him. When we play county cricket, it is difficult to face him, especially on a green track where he always asks you questions again and again and hits the length in the right areas,” Imam said after the game.
Imam added that even if Abbas hadn’t taken wickets in his initial burst, his comeback was the difference. “If you see, he could not get wickets in his first spell, but the way he came back and was hitting the right areas with the green grass, we were sure that Abbas was going to come and play a vital role for us. That is his strength, that he always asks so many questions as a batsman,” he said.
He also pointed to the value of Abbas’s heavy domestic workload. “Everybody knows how good he is and it really helps when you play so much of domestic cricket. He plays so much of county cricket and first-class cricket, so obviously we knew that the wicket will be like this and that is why Abbas comes to play and his role is very important for the team,” Imam remarked.
Bangladesh’s senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin echoed a similar assessment of Abbas’s control. “He doesn’t give away his areas. He can consistently bowl in the same spot, and that’s one of his strengths. He has done this before as well. Since there was a bit of movement on this wicket, he used it really well,” Salahuddin said.
Salahuddin also reflected on what changed for Bangladesh between the two days. “Yesterday we handled it quite well. I think today our batting order was shorter, meaning we had fewer batters left, and maybe that’s why they got through us easily. If Mushfiqur could have batted a bit longer, then I don’t think there would have been too much disappointment,” he added.
