Who is Kamran Ghulam, batter who replaced Babar Azam and scored century on Test debut vs England
New Delhi: Kamran Ghulam, a 29-year-old cricketer who replaced Babar Azam in Pakistan’s playing XI for the ongoing second Test against England at Multan Cricket Stadium, made a remarkable debut by scoring a century on October 15. The right-handed batter, batting at No. 4 for the Shan Masood-led side, reached the 100-run milestone with a boundary on the last ball of the 74th over.
During his 192-ball innings, Kamran Ghulam hit eight fours and one six. He was part of a significant 149-run partnership for the third wicket with opener Saim Ayub, who scored 77 runs off 160 balls.
Ghulam, who has played 59 First Class matches to date, was named in Pakistan’s playing XI on Monday. He replaced Babar Azam, who was dropped from the squad for the final two Tests of the ongoing three-match series by Pakistan’s new selection committee.
Babar Azam, who stepped down as Pakistan’s Test captain last year, is currently struggling with form, having failed to score a fifty in his last 18 innings for the Men in Green.
In addition to Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were also excluded from Pakistan’s squad for the remaining two matches of the home series against England.
The decision to exclude Babar Azam surprised many fans and former cricket greats. However, with his impressive performance with the bat in the second match of the series, Ghulam has at least justified his selection in the playing XI.
Had Ghulam failed to make a significant contribution in the ongoing match, fans would likely have increased their calls for Babar’s reinstatement even more.
He becomes the 13th Pakistani batter to score a century on Test debut, joining the ranks of Khalid Ibadulla, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Mohammad Wasim, Ali Naqvi, Azhar Mahmood, Younis Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, and Abid Ali.
Kamran Ghulam shines bright!
List of players who scored a century on their Test debut.#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/AkUWa1ROk0— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 15, 2024
On the first day of the ongoing second Test against England, Pakistan held high hopes for last match centurions Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood. Unfortunately, both players faltered early, falling within the first 10 overs. Jack Leach struck first, breaching Shafique’s defense on the third ball of the eighth over, dismissing him for just 7 runs off 28 balls. Leach then followed up by claiming the wicket of Pakistan captain Shan Masood, who was caught by Zak Crawley on the fourth ball of the next over.
Shan Masood, who was the top scorer for Pakistan in the first innings of the first Test, struggled in Tuesday’s match, managing just three runs off seven balls.