Abell returned to play in England during the second half of the 1935 season, and he also had a few matches in 1939. (His civil service commitments precluded more frequent appearances.) Most of these games were for Worcestershire, for whom he acted as captain three times in 1939, but he also turned out for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on a handful of occasions. His final first-class game of all was at Lahore, as captain of Northern India against Southern Punjab in the 1941–42 Ranji Trophy. He made one stumping, held two catches and scored 11 and 2 as Northern India ran out 74-run winners.