An old-style bowler in a modern game

Just about everything about Mohammad Abbas is a throwback, so it's fitting his Test bowling average is bettered only by those who played in the game's infancy.

Australia came to the UAE expecting a spin barrage, but the bowler who troubled them more than any other was Abbas, a relentless paceman who idolises Glenn McGrath.

After just 10 Tests, the right-armer has now taken 59 wickets at the incredible average of 15.64, the fourth lowest of any bowler in history to have taken more than 50 wickets.

The company Abbas keeps on this list only serves to highlight the rarity of his performance. The only three bowlers with a better average than the Pakistani – George Lohmann (10.75), JJ Ferris (12.70) and Billy Barnes (15.54) – all finished their careers before the start of the 20th century, when uncovered pitches and low batting totals were the norm.

And of the 12 other bowlers to average less than 20 in Tests, only two – Bert Ironmonger (17.97) and Frank Tyson (18.56) - have played since the First World War.

Triumphant Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed believes Australia's batsman may have underestimated his old-style medium-pacer, who proved to be his skipper's bowling trump card.

"It looks like they hadn't prepared, that they took him a little easy," said Sarfraz.

"But credit goes to Mohammad Abbas, because the pitch is not suitable for fast bowlers. The way he bowled, he was the best bowler on either side.

"No praise is enough for Abbas.

"The way he bowled through the series, he was the main factor for us winning the series."

Seventeen of Abbas' 59 Test wickets have come in the past two weeks on typically unresponsive surfaces in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with this series marking one of the finest performances by any fast bowler in Asia.

Among the quicks, only Indian Irfran Pathan (against Bangladesh in 2004) has had a more prolific two-Test series on the subcontinent, while none have trumped Abbas' 17 scalps in a series of any length in the UAE.

Abbas is not fast, nor does he move the ball a great deal. His T20 bowling average is nearly three times his Test average and he seemingly has no place in the modern game of fast bowling and even faster batting.

But he singlehandedly brought about collapses of 3-0 and 4-7 across this two-Test campaign, with his 10-wicket haul in Abu Dhabi stemming from a supreme skill of constantly zeroing in on the stumps.

Australia's bowling coach David Saker admitted the former factory worker's sheer relentlessness took them by surprise in this series; Abbas snared 10 wickets in Pakistan's record 373-run win in the second Test despite being the slowest, on average, of all the fast bowlers used (per CricViz).

But Australian skipper Tim Paine denied his team were caught on the hop by Pakistan's latest swing king.

"Guys knew what they were going to get with Mohammad Abbas," Paine said. "He hasn't changed.

"All the footage from him, he bowls the same day in, day out."

A late-bloomer in first-class ranks, Abbas is yet to go wicketless in any of his 19 Test innings with the ball, and he's now succeeded in most types of conditions Test cricket can throw his way – from Dominica to Dublin and Dubai.

Having triumphed over Australia in the desert, Abbas will now surely be licking his lips at the chance to travel to South Africa this summer for three Tests on pitches that should suit him perfectly.

"I have played first-class cricket and a lot of things have happened before my eyes," said Abbas. "I suffered hardship in my life, so my focus is on cricket and that has made me mature.

"My focus is to play cricket and focus on my fitness. I want to keep my feet on ground, that has been my life and it has matured me."

Best Test bowling averages
(Min 50 wickets)

George Lohmann (Eng, 1886-96) – 112 wkts at 10.75
JJ Ferris (Eng/Aus, 1887-92) – 61 at 12.70
Billy Barnes (Eng, 1880-90) – 51 at 15.54
Mohammad Abbas (Pak, 2017-18) – 59 at 15.64
Billy Bates (Eng, 1881-87) – 50 at 16.42
Sydney Barnes (Eng, 1901-14) – 189 at 16.43
Charles Turner (Aus, 1887-1895) – 101 at 16.53
Bobby Peel (Eng, 1884-1896) – 101 at 16.98
Johnny Briggs (Eng, 1884-99) – 118 at 17.75
Bert Ironmonger (Aus, 1928-33) – 74 at 17.97
Fred Spofforth (Aus, 1877-87) – 94 at 18.41
Frank Tyson (Eng, 1954-59) – 76 at 18.56
Colin Blythe (Eng, 1901-10) – 100 at 18.63

Qantas Tour of the UAE

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Pakistan Test squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez

First Test: Match drawn

Second Test: Pakistan won by 373 runs