PAK vs ENG: Who is Pakistan's 24-year-old mystery spinner wreaking havoc for England?

After England defeated Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi, the Men in Green decided to unleash their new 24-year-old spinner, who made his Test debut and in style.

The bowler, Abrar Ahmed, has gone on to scalp seven wickets and has wreaked havoc for England's top order in the 2nd Test.

In fact, the English side was left reeling at 167/5 inside the first session of the opening day of the Multan Test.

Zak Crawley (19), Ben Duckett (63), Ollie Pope (60), Joe Root (8), Harry Brook (9), Ben Stokes (30), and Will Jacks (31) all became the spinner's victims. The visitors were reduced to 281 all-out before the tea break. 

Who is Abrar Ahmed?

Abrar is a leg-spinner on paper, but due to his eerie ability to bowl the carrom ball, the flipper, the straighter one, and roll his fingers to bowl the off-spinner, one might just as readily refer to him as a mystery spinner.

Pakistan has a history of developing quick bowlers and in a manner, Abrar could be the Men in Green's first mystery spinner. 

The 24-year-old has taken 85 wickets in 22 First-Class games, including 20 FC wickets at the Multan ground. Of those, 32 came in the 2021–22 season and 24 in the 2022–23 calendar. 

Abrar achieved a remarkable total of 57 wickets in the 2020 Quaid-e-Azam Second XI Trophy.

He once bowled an incredible 206 overs in six matches, taking 24 wickets. Abrar bowled more than 428 overs in 24 FC games. 

He originally gained national attention in 2017 while representing Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), when he managed to silence former England skipper Eoin Morgan during a strangling spell.

Talking about England's score, while it is a decent score on a surface that has plenty for the spinners, but with Pakistan batting last, the visitors would be eyeing to settle for even a small lead.