Mohammad Abbas swaps Hampshire for Nottinghamshire on six-match deal

Abbas, who has claimed 758 first-class wickets at an average of 20.66, will begin his stint in May, following the conclusion of Fergus O’Neill’s month-long spell with the side. He will then return to the club in September for the closing stages of the County Championship season.

Abbas joins fellow seamer O’Neill and South Africa international Kyle Verreynne in agreeing terms as an overseas player for the upcoming red-ball campaign, with Conor McKerr (three-year contract) and Daniel Sams (Blast) having also joined the club ahead of the new season.

He had originally agreed to join Nottinghamshire for the 2020 season, before his stint was curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He subsequently starred for Hampshire, claiming 180 wickets at 19.07 across four summers, with successive 50-wicket seasons in 2022 and 2023.

In a statement, Hampshire explained that they had released Abbas due to a need to “rebalance their squad”, with James Vince’s retirement from first-class cricket meaning they are exploring options for an overseas batter.

“Mohammad has consistently been one of the top performers in the County Championship and has unfailingly produced his very best for Hampshire time and time again,” Giles White, the men’s director of cricket said. “His character will be sorely missed in the dressing room and on the pitch, and everyone at the Club wishes him the very best in his career.

Abbas’s first-class form earned him a recall to the Pakistan Test side against South Africa this winter. In total, Abbas has 101 international wickets in 30 matches across formats, while his domestic record also includes 79 wickets for Leicestershire between 2018 and 2019.

“Trent Bridge is a special place to play cricket, so it will be great to call the ground home this summer – especially after not being able to come over and play for Notts five years ago,” Abbas said.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in the English game, and the squad at Notts is in an exciting place. There’s a good blend of young talent and senior players who’ve been around for a while and know their game really well, and I’m looking forward to contributing in any way that I can to their success.”

Nottinghamshire’s head coach Peter Moores said: “Players of Mo’s experience and track record don’t come around all that often, so we’re really excited about what he can bring to us this summer.

“His control and his ability to find a way of getting wickets on any sort of surface make him extremely valuable; he’s certainly been a tough opponent for us to face over the years.

“We’ve already got an exciting group of bowlers at our disposal for the summer, and the addition of Mo’s craft and subtlety will add a different style of bowling to the rest of our attack.”