Sean Abbott (born 29 February 1992) is an all-rounder from New South Wales, Australia. His talent was identified early when he was selected to make his limited-overs debut for NSW as an 18-year- old. However, his breakthrough season did not come until three years later during the 2013/14 summer which saw him finish as the leading wicket taker in the Ryobi Cup with 16, while taking 27 wickets in the Sheffield Shield.
He went on to win the Steve Waugh Medal as the NSW Blues Player of the Year before receiving a call-up to the Australian ODI and T20 squads to play Pakistan in the UAE. Abbott took the prized wicket of Shahid Afridi in the first over of his T20 international debut, trapping him in front plumb lbw with his fourth ball. Abbott was part of the NSW side which won the 2015/16 Matador BBQs One Day Cup, taking 10 wickets at 19.40 in seven matches. He also played nine of the 10 Sheffield Shield fixtures, grabbing 21 wickets at 38.28.
Abbott’s performance at the domestic level caught the attention of the scouts at the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he got his first IPL contract, worth INR 1 Cr for the 2015 edition of the tournament. Abbott, playing for the Sydney Sixers, was named joint player of the series in BBL 6 after he picked up 20 wickets from 10 games.
Subsequently though, Abbott lost his place in the Australian side and it wouldn’t be until 2019 that he would make another appearance for Australia. He remained on the fringes and struggled to break into the side with other all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green being preferred over him. He had a breakout season in 2023 though, particularly in T20 cricket and it started with a mind-bending 34-ball century for Surrey in the T20 Blast. Abbott found himself back in Australia’s limited-overs setup leading up to the 2023 World Cup and was named in their 15-member squad for the grand tournament.
