A decade ago, Mohammad Abbas was back at home in Pakistan, assisting lawyers in setting up lawsuits over real estate. The idea that he would one day claim the best figures by an Asian fast bowler at Lord’s - the citadel of English cricket - would have been the stuff of fantasy.

Yet here he is, preparing for tomorrow's second Test at Headingley, with a historic series victory over England within reach, and a new legion of admirers queuing to pay him compliments. The days of his menial court duties - and, before that, working as a welder and in a leather factory - must seem very long ago.

“My life before cricket was very challenging but those struggles helped me in cricket because when I came into the sport I had become mature enough to deal with the problems,” Abbas, 28, told The Telegraph. “After the welding and leather factory, I was an office boy in a court, registering documents for cases related to property.

“When I was working at the court I got selected for district under-19 cricket. They asked me to choose between job or cricket. I cannot forget that night. But a friend, who was a lawyer too, made a case of doing both things together.”

If that was one sliding doors moment, the other came when he came to play in that under-19 tournament. “The team had to choose between me and the secretary’s son, and the decision was made through a toss,” he revealed. “It went in my favour and I got five wickets. After that I got into the region’s academy and there was no stopping after that.”

Mohammad Abbas ripped through England's batting at Lord's credit: AFP

Pakistan must be grateful. Last week, Abbas outsmarted England’s batsmen with high-quality seam bowling and finished the match with the historic return of 8-64. The upshot was Pakistan comfortably winning the Test by nine wickets.

Abbas’ is an unlikely story. He is a product of the Sialkot district, an area that has produced eight Test cricketers but only one fast bowler - Abbas. His village of Jatheke, a detour left off the Lahore-Sialkot highway, is notable for being the home of the mother of Mohammad Iqbal – the philosophical thinker in British India who dreamt up the idea of creating Pakistan in 1930 - but has produced no cricketers. “It has been a year since I got into the team but people still don’t know the name of my village,” Abbas said, rather ruefully.

Abbas quickly outgrew his village side, and was duly called up by Sialkot, where he shared a dressing room with Mohammad Asif. His influence was vital.

“I played Grade II cricket for two years with Asif - we used to discuss things a lot, about how to bowl and where to bowl. I feel like I learnt bowling from him. People like him, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock, James Anderson - they are my ideal bowlers. I like their lines and lengths.”

Dominic Bess falls to Mohammad Abbas at Lord's credit: AFP

Abbas has learned well from that gilded quartet. He has an unerring knack of placing the ball consistently in the same channel, with just enough movement off the seam to discomfort batsmen. According to CricViz, since his debut only two bowlers have bowled more than half the deliveries at a good length – South Africa’s Vernon Philander and Abbas. Akin to Philander, Abbas also loves playing with mind of batsmen and use his spells to probe their weaknesses.

“I know my strengths that’s why I try to bowl from wicket to wicket,” he said. “I try to make batsmen play the ball as much as possible. When you bowl long spells, you get to learn about the weaknesses of batsmen.”

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Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Abbas’ story is that he was not summoned by Pakistan sooner. The former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq wanted him for England’s tour in 2016 but his pleas were ignored by the selectors. Only after Pakistan had a miserable tour Down Under in 2016-17, when they lost all five Tests to New Zealand and Australia, did they agree to adding him for the party travelling to the West Indies.

Abbas struck with the second ball of his Test career in Jamaica and there has been no stopping him since. His 40 wickets in seven Tests is the most by any Pakistan bowler at this stage of his career.

Mohammad Abbas credits Mickey Arthur with improving Pakistan's fitness credit: PA

“It is not that I have suddenly got into the team - I have been playing first-class cricket for nine years, so I know what to do” he said. “The Tests in the West Indies and UAE were played on slow wickets but here in England you have got to bowl according to the weather and pitches. On the grounds where you find swing you need up pitch the ball up and where the pitches are slow you got to drag back your length.”

Not that Abbas is too proud to ignore help. He credits working with Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s bowling coach, for honing his skills - “he gets the footage given to us by the analyst, and he tells me about the weak areas of batsmen - that helps me to plan” - and Mickey Arthur, the coach, for making the team fitter and more energetic in the field.

“He is highly impressive,” he said. “He never compromises on fielding. Before every series we go through a fitness test, and by doing this we have developed a fitness culture in the country. Players at junior levels also look at us and try to follow the same routines.”

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Headingley might turn out to be heaven for Abbas, bearing in mind its history and the weather forecast for cloud cover. If he, Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali perform as they did at Lord’s, this Test represents Pakistan’s best chance to register a first series win in England for 22 years.

“That is the challenge - to continue the performance in Leeds,” Abbas said. “I compete with myself in every match, trying to get better, tring to make us win matches. I want to be better than we were at Lord’s.”

England have been warned.