Muhammad Leaves His Mark Against Pakistan

Muhammad Abbas made headlines for the New Zealand cricket when he struck 26-ball 52 - the fastest half-century by anyone on ODI debut - for the Black Caps against Pakistan in the first ODI in Napier on Sunday. New Zealand crushed Pakistan by 73 runs to go 1-0 in the three-match series. The 21-year-old’s blitzkrieg innings, however, turned out of be news of the day on his ODI debut. “So happy he’s wearing black and not green,” said former Black Cap player Craig McMillan on TVNZ’s commentary, on Abbas who also became the first Pakistan-born Black Caps international. If he had never moved to New Zealand he would have been wasted like Zulqarnain Haider, Ali Naqi or his own father Azhar Abbas and many other Shia players as former PCB chairman Shehryar Afridi mentioned in his biography. His father, Azhar Abbas, played Pakistan Agricultural Bank but left for New Zealand when Mohammed Abbas was just 18 months old after bagging a contract as Karori’s overseas pro. By early 2005 Abbas Sr - a pace bowler - who’d made his first-class debut in Pakistan - had taken 43 wickets at 15 in the Pearce Cup and was picked for Wellington. Abbas Sr wasn’t even sure if he’d continue to stay in New Zealand. “I said to my family: if I enjoy the first season then we make our move. If I don’t enjoy it, we will come back (to Pakistan). I really enjoyed being at Karori, a wonderful bunch of guys and amazing club.” Two decades later his son Muhammad Abbas made his Black Caps debut. “The day he started walking he had a bat in his hand,” recalls his father. Narrating an incident, Abbas Sr, coaching an under-17 team in a Western Districts internal tournament, Muhammad was accompanying his father to watch when the team lost a player to illness. Chasing 188, the team was 70-7 when 11-year-old Muhammad walked out to play against boys six years older. “They went really hard at him, and he stuck in the fight and kept batting. He made 80 not out, and when we needed four runs he came down and hit a six right where we were sitting in the tent. It was unbelievable what happened here. From then on, Auckland Cricket started looking and King’s College offered a cricket scholarship. That innings stands out in my brain,” Abbas Sr told The Post. After 21 first-class matches, and consistent performances in Ford Trophy and T20 Super Smash, Muhammad Abbas got the call this week to join a Black Caps side without their IPL players. Coach Gary Stead delivered the news. “He was really shocked, he called me and said ‘Dad, Gary called me and they want me to play against Pakistan’.” Eid celebrations began early in the Abbas household with mother Shazia, older sister Khadija and younger sister Zainab. “We’ve worked together quite closely and exchanged a few messages even when I’m not playing for Wellington. To see him get this opportunity is immensely exciting, he’s a great young talent and I’m excited to be there to see it first hand and help him along the way. He’s going to have a bright future for New Zealand,” Black Caps captain Michael Bracewell told The Post. Fastest half-centuries on men's ODI debut 24 balls: Muhammad Abbas, New Zealand v Pakistan at Napier, 2025 26: Krunal Pandya, India v England at Pune, 2021 26: Alick Athanaze, West Indies v UAE at Sharjah, 2023 33: Ishan Kishan, India v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 2021 35: Roland Butcher, England v Australia at Birmingham, 1980 35: John Morris, England v New Zealand at Adelaide, 1990