So early that there are no memories, no images of Pakistan left in his mind from that first journey to New Zealand. Yet both countries continue to shape who he is — one through blood, the other through upbringing, and cricket through identity.
“We came to Auckland with him when I was maybe one,” Abbas told The Indian Express. “I actually don’t have a lot of memory or any recollection of that because I was too young. But I’ve grown up most of my life in New Zealand.”
That sentence carries a quiet duality. Born in Lahore, raised in New Zealand, and now wearing the Black Caps cap in ODIs, the 22-year-old’s journey has been shaped as much by geography as by emotion.
But long before selection calls or international caps, there was one constant in his cricketing life — his father.
“Definitely my dad,” he says without hesitation. “He’s a bowling coach, and I’ve done all my training with him growing up. He introduced cricket to me, coached me, and we did everything together. He’s probably been the most influential on my game.”
Those early years were built on repetition, discipline and shared time, shaping instincts long before professional cricket arrived. “I used to watch a little bit of cricket with my dad growing up,” he recalls. “He was definitely a Pakistan and New Zealand fan.”
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Closer to home, his role models became Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. “Kane’s world-class, and Trent being our finest left-arm bowler. They were the two I looked up to.” (FanCode)
From those evenings came his first heroes. “I loved watching Wasim Akram when I was very young. I didn’t see much of his career because it was the back end, but my dad would always speak about him.”
Closer to home, his role models became Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. “Kane’s world-class, and Trent being our finest left-arm bowler. They were the two I looked up to.”
Life, though, demanded a major decision a few years ago.
“There was a bit of a period a couple of years ago, obviously going through a little bit of personal stuff,” he says. “My dad had gotten a job back in Wellington as a bowling coach, and I had to decide whether I wanted to stay in Auckland or move down with the family. It was a bit of a split decision. In the end, I decided to move down.”
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The move became a turning point.
“Going into a new environment, unsure of what to expect. When I moved down, I was welcomed openly by Wellington, and they gave me an opportunity, and it all felt like dominoes from there.”
What began as a family transition became a career shift that placed him on the path to international cricket. That path reached its biggest moment in March 2025, when he was handed his ODI debut against Pakistan — the country of his birth — in Napier.
“It was pretty unexpected,” he says. “I wasn’t expecting to play, and then I got the call, and all of a sudden I was in the playing XI. Playing against Pakistan and being born there was a bit of an awkward feeling. I wasn’t sure. But being presented with my cap is a huge honour and a dream come true.”
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Debut to remember
The debut became memorable. Batting at No.6, Abbas struck 52 off 26 balls, bringing up the fastest ODI fifty on debut.
“I didn’t actually realise it was a record at the time,” he says. “I got told after the innings. It still hasn’t sunk in.”
What stays with him most is the feeling. “You have these imaginary things when you’re a kid — crowds chanting, big games, finals. That day felt like one of those. I was on around 48, the crowd was loud. It was pretty cool.”
Now part of the Black Caps setup, he finds himself sharing dressing rooms with players he once watched on television.
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“It feels pretty surreal,” he says. “You’ve got guys like Tom Latham, people you’ve grown up watching. And now you’re sharing a dressing room, a hotel, a team bus. The inner kid in you just looks around like — this is pretty cool.”
His ties to Pakistan, meanwhile, remain strong. “Absolutely. I’ve got a lot of family back in Pakistan, and I used to visit regularly until 2018,” he says. “Since then, I haven’t been able to go due to cricket commitments, but I have a very deep connection with both Pakistan and New Zealand.”
Watch Bangladesh vs New Zealand LIVE from Dhaka, starting 1:30 PM, on FanCode.
