Mohammad Abbas reaches 900 first-class wickets with four-wicket haul at Lord’s

Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas has reached 900 first-class wickets, a landmark on the biggest stage in Test cricket. The 36-year-old arrived at Lord’s needing just two wickets to reach the mark and took no time at all. He removed Emilio Gay for eight, then had Ben Duckett caught for 17, with the dismissal completing his 900th first-class scalp.

Abbas kept going after that. He troubled the England batters throughout his spell and finished the first day with figures of 4 for 56 from 15 overs, three of which were maidens. He had England captain Joe Root trapped in front with a nip-backer before having Jofra Archer bowled shortly before the close of the day’s play. It was a disciplined, controlled performance entirely in keeping with his reputation as one of the most reliable seamers in the longer format.

The milestone came in his 222nd first-class match. His career record now reads 902 wickets at an average of 20.42, with 57 five-wicket hauls to his name. Those numbers reflect a bowler who has taken wickets consistently across a very long career without relying on pace or conditions to do the work for him.

Where does Abbas stand among the top first-class wicket-takers since 2000?

The 900-wicket mark places Abbas fifth on the list of the most prolific first-class wicket-takers of the 21st century. James Anderson of England heads the table with 1,181 wickets, followed by South Africa’s Simon Harmer on 1,056 and Sri Lanka’s Malinda Pushpakumara on 1,010. Ireland’s Tim Murtagh sits fourth with 959, and Abbas now occupies the fifth spot with 902.

It is a remarkable position for a bowler who has built his career largely through county and domestic cricket rather than sustained international exposure. His average of just over 20 across 222 first-class matches, combined with 57 five-wicket hauls, shows how regularly he has taken multiple wickets in an innings over a long period. Few seamers of his generation have maintained that level of output across so many matches.

How does Abbas’s white-ball record compare to his first-class output?

The gap between Abbas’s first-class record and his limited-overs international career is striking. He has represented Pakistan in just three ODIs and managed one wicket across those appearances. His skills, built around seam movement, accuracy and the ability to sustain pressure across long spells, have always been better suited to the red-ball game.

That contrast explains why Abbas has accumulated wickets at such a steady rate in first-class cricket while remaining on the fringes of Pakistan’s white-ball setup. His value to any side in the longer format is clear from the numbers, and the Lord’s milestone only reinforces how significant a career he has put together outside the spotlight of international limited-overs cricket.

Most first-class wickets in the 21st century