Mohammad Abbas makes Hampshire to Nottinghamshire switch, leaving Southampton after four fruitful seasons out there.
Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan seamer, has swapped Hampshire for Nottinghamshire, where he will be available for six fixtures.
After Fergus O’Neill’s month-long stint with the team ends, Abbas, who has taken 758 first-class wickets at an average of 20.66, will start his tenure in May. In September, he will rejoin the team for the last stretch of the County Championship season.
Together with fellow seamer O’Neill and South Africa international Kyle Verreynne, Abbas has agreed to terms as a foreign player for the forthcoming red-ball season. Daniel Sams (Blast) and Conor McKerr (three-year deal) have already joined the team.
He had initially committed to playing for Nottinghamshire in 2020, but the Covid-19 epidemic ended his stay. After that, he was a standout player for Hampshire, taking 180 wickets at 19.07 over four summers, including consecutive seasons with 50 wickets in 2022 and 2023.
Hampshire stated in a statement that they had to “rebalance their squad” after releasing Abbas, and that they are now looking at options for an overseas hitter in light of James Vince’s retirement from first-class cricket.
“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.
“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.”