After working in a leather factory, earning his livelihood through welding work and working as a helper in a law firm in Sialkot, Mohammad Abbas struck with his second ball in Test cricket when he dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck at Sabina Park in 2017.

Abbas hails from a small village, Jathekey, situated in the outskirts of Sambrial in the Punjab province of Pakistan. He made his first-class debut in early 2009 for his regional side Sialkot, who won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy that season. He played three games taking only four wickets at an average of 32 in 2008-09. He emerged to prominence only in 2016 after two successful domestic seasons. He was the top wicket-taker in the 2015-16 domestic first-class competition with 61 wickets in 10 matches at an impressive bowling average of 16.78 for Khan Research Laboratory.

He drew the national selectors' attention by leading the wicket-taking charts in 2016-17 again, taking 71 wickets at a stunning average of 12.74. He then picked 15 wickets in the Departmental One Day Cup, a domestic one-day competition, to further stamp an impression to get selected. His performances and fitness rewarded him with a spot on the tour of the West Indies in 2017 where he was handed his Test cap by captain Misbah-ul-Haq.