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A late bloomer, Abid Ali made headlines in 2019 when he was a surprise pick in Pakistan’s provisional World Cup squad. He had just debuted in the ODI series against Australia and conjured a fine century as well but such an announcement was unexpected. However, all the instant fame died down rather quickly as he had to make way to Asif Ali as Pakistan looked for a hitter in the lower-middle order. In the

domestic circuit, Abid has been a consistent run-getter with a cumulative of over 10,000 runs across formats. A solid batsman with a firm technique and nimble footwork, he is a habitual opener and his style of play makes him effective for red-ball cricket and also as an opener in ODIs where he can anchor the innings while also scoring at a fair clip. With Pakistan making a total revamp in resources, strategy and culture after the 2019 World Cup, Abid is back in the reckoning as the side builds towards their next international cycle.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan