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.