Kyle Abbott is a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman.
He was born in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and has represented South Africa in all three formats at International level.
Having first featured for KwaZulu-Natal in 2009, Abbott’s ability to bowl accurately at pace soon saw him noticed and he was selected to feature for South Africa A – a call-up which coincided with topping the domestic first-class wicket charts in South Africa.
His performances continued to impress and in 2013 Abbott was rewarded with International debuts in all three formats. He certainly made his presence felt in his opening International contest, taking match figures of 9-68 on Test debut – the third best match figures by a South African in their first Test appearance.
With an array of talented pacemen available for the Proteas, Abbott found himself in and out of the national side shortly after, leading him to join Hampshire in 2014 where he made a positive impression during a season-long stay – in which he picked up 36 first-class wickets at an average of just 20.33.
Abbott soon earned an International recall, featuring prominently in South Africa’s 2015 ICC World Cup campaign before also making a return to the Test side a year later, claiming 6-77 in the second-innings against Australia.
In January 2017 it was announced that Abbott had re-signed for Hampshire on a four-year deal and the seamer was crucial with the new ball in his debut campaign, taking 60 wickets at an average of just 18.2. More than handy with the bat, he also showed his talent with the bat, averaging almost 30 on his way to 418 runs in the lower order.
Abbott was instrumental once again with the ball throughout 2018, making substantial contributions, particularly stretch in the County Championship, where he finished with 51 scalps at just 23.17 apiece.
The South-African created history in 2019 claiming the best first-class figures of any Hampshire player and the best County Championship figures since 1956. His 17/86 against Somerset were the fourth best numbers ever recorded in England. Abbott claimed 111 wickets throughout the campaign, his best ever tally in a Hampshire shirt.
