Derby: Derbyshire County Cricket Club on Tuesday announced the signing of experienced Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas on a two-year contract for the County Championship Division 2 2026, scheduled to be played from April 3 to September 24.
Abbas, who has represented Pakistan in 27 Tests since making his international red-ball debut in 2017, is one of the most sought-after overseas players, having taken 291 wickets at an average of 19.89 in England’s first-class competition.
He represented Hampshire and Leicestershire during his budding County Championship career, while his most recent spell came with Nottinghamshire, who he won the First Division title with earlier this year.
The 35-year-old is set to feature in Division Two after turning down offers from several Division One counties.
Derbyshire’s head of batting Mickey Arthur, who coached Pakistan to their maiden ICC Men’s Champions Trophy glory in 2017, expressed his delight at Abbas’ inclusion in his squad and termed his signing as “a statement”.
And he backed Abbas’s bowling skills to come in handy for the side, while his experience would help nurture the young talent.
“This is a signing statement for us, we beat a number of Division 1 counties to sign one of the best red ball bowlers and we are absolutely delighted to have Mohammed in the squad for 2026 and 2027,” Arthur was quoted as saying by Derbyshire CCC.
“He is an exceptional bowler, he bowls maidens, creates pressure and his wickets come at a very impressive average. However, his talent will not only be huge for us, his experience will be huge for our young players to learn from.”
Abbas, on the other hand, expressed his excitement at representing Derbyshire and working with “fantastic” coach Arthur.
“I’m excited to join Derbyshire and work with Mickey Arthur again, he’s a fantastic coach and to hear his plans for Derbyshire and we share the same ambitions for the club: to be in Division One,” Abbas was quoted as saying.
“The team just missed out on promotion in 2025, so hopefully I can come in and win a few more games and celebrate the trophy for our supporters.”