Abdur Rehman made his debut for Pakistan during the homes series against West Indies at the ripe old age of 26 (old considering the subcontinent's trait of ruthlessly exposing youth to the world's best). Not a huge turner of the cricket ball, his accuracy and consistency, as well as exploiting the rough marks, does it for him not only at the elite level but on the domestic circuit as well.

Rehman's rise to fame goes way back to 1999 when he grabbed a five-for and a six-wicket haul in successive matches while representing Pakistan Under-19 against South Africa in 1999. He was picked for the side even though he only had a brace of first-class outings.

Rehman's opportunities on the international circuit have so far been limited due to the abundance of spinners in the Pakistan line-up albeit in the form of allrounders. His performance in domestic competitions have been notable, especially during the 2006-07 season where he ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the Pentangular Cup including an 11-wicket haul for champions Habib Bank Limited in the penultimate match of the season.

Picked for the Abu Dhabi series as a consequence, Rehman only played one match where he managed a solitary wicket. As decent as Rehman is in the shorter form of the game, he lacks the artillery to cause major concern to batsmen in Test matches. However, with Pakistan opting for a two-man spin attack, Rehman made his Test debut in the home series against South Africa and emerged Pakistan's best bowler in the series by taking 12 wickets, including eight in his debut Test.