There have been certain aspects of Pakistan’s game — batting and fast bowling to be specific — that have not been reliable over the last few years. But their spin department has been performing consistently and much of the credit behind Pakistan’s record 21 T20I wins in 2025 goes to them.

Since the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados, Pakistan’s spin attack has been operating at a different level altogether. Before the second T20I against Australia on Saturday, it had produced 146 wickets — the second most for a T20I side in the window — at an economy of 6.92 with Abrar Ahmed having taken 40 of them, the most for a spinner from his team.

Abrar is a mystery spinner who relies on his fingers to produce turn and create wily creations. He has proven to be a reliable performer for Pakistan and captains across formats have turned to him when in need of crucial wickets.

On his debut Test in Multan against England, Babar Azam gave him an extended spell on the first morning as he picked up seven wickets in a day and finished that match with 11 to his name. And it was his brilliant spell of 1-29 in the final of the Asia Cup that kept the contest alive despite India chasing a below-par 146.

It is his ability to hit the good length repeatedly, all the while varying the degree and direction of turn, that makes him such a difficult prospect for batters. And he does all that without providing many clues and altering the pace of his every delivery.

In the first T20I against Australia on Thursday, Abrar bowled Cooper Connolly with a searing leg break that thudded into the left-hander’s off-stump from around the wicket.

He had set up the batter by bowling a loopy googly on the previous ball. He ended up bowling Gaddafi Stadium’s most economical complete spell of the format, returning a splendid two for 10. The foundations of those 24 balls were laid when Pakistan were batting. “I was observing the lengths [Adam] Zampa was hitting,” he said after Thursday’s game.

In the second T20I, Pakistan had an excellent day with the bat as they set up a daunting 199-run target with their top-order and middle-order firing, a rare instance. Australia seemed on course to meet the challenging total when Mitch Marsh and Travis Head attacked Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub in the first two overs.

Without giving much breathing space to the two openers, Salman Ali Agha unveiled his trump card by introducing Abrar into the attack in just the third over and the move produced the desired result right away.

After inviting Marsh to drive him for most of the over with loopy leg breaks, Abrar bowled one that fizzed past through the Australian skipper’s defences and trapped him in front.

In his next over, Abrar brought out the same plan for Josh Inglis, a leg break wide of off, followed by a magical wrong’un to get him leg before wicket as the keeper attempted a reverse sweep.

All these balls landed in a good length area, where batters could score at a strike rate of only nine against him, meaning the Australians would have been able to take only nine runs off his 100 balls this game.

Pakistan wrapped the match inside 15.4 overs and produced their biggest ever win over Australia — in terms of runs — as all ten wickets were shared by spinners who bowled 14.4 overs. With 3-14 from three overs, Abrar was the pick of the bowlers.

“I am switched on throughout the match as before every match Salman bhai tells me that I have to stay ready to bowl in every phase of the game,” Abrar told the host broadcaster after Pakistan won the three-match series with the last match to be played on Sunday.

“Change of pace is very important in modern-day cricket and you have to rely on your variations, but you also have to factor in the batter you are bowling to and whether you are bowling first or defending a total. If you are defending a good total, you can be inclined to take some risks. Taking risks can be fun.”

From not winning a T20I against Australia since October 2018, Pakistan now have two consecutive wins against Australia, albeit the side misses some of their mainstays. But in what is Pakistan’s final shot at competitive preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup, these victories help the side.

“Everyone is aware of the challenges that a side like Australia brings,” Abrar said. “This series win will boost our morale ahead of the T20 World Cup. We will encounter similar conditions to these surfaces that we have purposefully laid out.”

Header image: Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed bowls during the second T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on January 31. — AFP