The rags to riches story of Mohammad Abbas

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has became the hottest commodity in international cricket after his impressive bowling display against England earned his side a nine wickets victory at the historic Lord’s.

However, not all was bed of roses for the emerging bowler, as he was involved in a number of odd jobs from welding to working in a leather factory and becoming an office boy in a court.

“My life before cricket was very challenging but those struggles helped me in cricket because when I came into the sport I had become mature enough to deal with the problems,” said Abbas, quoted The Telegraph. “After the welding and leather factory, I was an office boy in a court, registering documents for cases related to property," he said.

“When I was working at the court I got selected for district under-19 cricket. They asked me to choose between job or cricket. I cannot forget that night. But a friend, who was a lawyer too, made a case of doing both things together,” he added.

The story doesn’t just end here, as his stint in the under-19 tournament too was based on a toss.  “The team had to choose between me and the secretary’s son and the decision was made through a toss,” he revealed. “It went in my favour and I got five wickets. After that I got into the region’s academy and there was no stopping after that.”

Man-of-the-match Abbas led Pakistan’s attack with an overall figure of eight for 64, while four Pakistan batsmen scored fifties in a competitive first-innings total of 363 runs.