Abrar Ahmed (born 11 September 1998) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays as a leg spin bowler. He was called up to the Pakistan national cricket team in December 2022 for the home Test series against England. Ahmed made his Test debut on 9 December 2022 in the second match of the series at the Multan Cricket Stadium, taking 7 wickets for 114 runs in the first innings and 4 for 120 in the second, becoming the first Pakistani bowler to claim a ten-wicket haul on debut since 1995.
Born in Karachi, Ahmed is the youngest among eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters), with his brother Shahzad Khan previously playing as a fast bowler for National Bank. He is a hafiz, having memorized the entire Qur'an.[3]
He has cited his elder brother as the reason his talent was recognised early on in tape ball cricket. Ahmed describes his mother and siblings as supportive from the beginning, but his father was eventually won over too and is now also supportive of his career. Upon being asked on his father's stance in a 2023 interview, he responded that his father is "very happy now".[4]
He was then named in the Pakistan squad for the Test series in the series against New Zealand, and in the first innings of the first Test he picked up another 5 wicket haul.
Ahmed made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on November 26, 2024, at Bulawayo. He took 4 wickets for 33 runs, helping Pakistan restrict Zimbabwe to 145 runs and equalize the series 1–1.[15]
In September 2025, during the 2025 Asia Cup, his bowling against Sri Lanka was applauded, producing a suffocating spell of 4–0–8–1 (econ 2.00) with 16 dot balls. Analysts noted Abrar's 1/8 as a T20 Asia Cup record-low four-over return.[16]
In November 2025, in the third and final ODI of the home series against South Africa, Abrar produced a career-best performance of 4/27 to lead Pakistan to a seven-wicket, securing a 2–1 series win. Batting first, South Africa reached 72 without loss before collapsing to 143 all out in 37.5 overs, as Abrar triggered the collapse with three wickets in two overs. Pakistan chased down the target of 144 with 24.5 overs to spare, marking their third consecutive ODI series win over South Africa. Abrar was declared Player of the Match.[17]
Injury
In late 2023, Ahmed was diagnosed with sciatica, a condition that caused leg pain and numbness, during Pakistan's preparations for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The injury, sustained during a practice match in Australia, ruled him out of subsequent international fixtures, including the Test series that followed.[18][bettersourceneeded]
↑Raj, Pratyush (9 December 2022). "'Who is Abdul Qadir, never heard of him': Meet Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan's new mystery spinner". The Indian Express. […] another elder brother Shahzad Khan, a fast bowler, represented National Bank in the domestic circuit […] the youngest among eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters), Abrar was more close to his mother. When he turned nine, Abrar's mother asked him to do hifz (memorization of the Quran).
↑Farooq, Umar (23 November 2022). "Who are Mohammad Ali and Abrar Ahmed?". Cricinfo. He speaks Pashto but is born and raised in Karachi, his family having moved to the city from the north of the country - specifically a small village called Shinkiari, located on the outskirts of Mansehra [...]
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