Kamran Ghulam impressed everyone with his brilliant batting as the Pakistan cricket team star slammed a century on debut during Day 1 of the second Test match against England on Tuesday. It was a show of pure class as the 29-year-old slammed 118 off 224 balls with the help of 11 fours and 1 six. Kamran has already proved his mettle in domestic cricket with 16 first-class centuries and his selection was hailed by social media users after the impressive performance. Following the ton, the internet also took aim at Babar Azam for not making use of the multiple opportunities that he received. The former Pakistan skipper was dropped from the squad for the second and third Test encounter.
Kamran Ghulam hit a superb century on his debut to guide Pakistan to 259-5 on the opening day of the second Test against England in Multan on Tuesday.
Imagine benching this BEAST Kamran Ghulam for a mediocre gully cricketer Babar Azam #PAKvENGpic.twitter.com/WgB7mHeF0j
— Team Green(@_TeamGreen123) October 15, 2024
The 29-year-old replaced out-of-form Babar Azam at number four and foiled England's aggressive bowling and fielding to score a brilliant 118.
No.of Fifties by Babar Azam in last 2 years – 0
No.of Fifties by Kamran Ghulam in just 1 match – 1 pic.twitter.com/7jRuR4o4A8— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) October 15, 2024
At close, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha were unbeaten with 37 and five respectively.
Babar Azam fans returning to their shells after seeing Kamran Ghulam dominating England#PAKvENGpic.twitter.com/oVMllYY0DP
— Team Green🇵🇰 (@_TeamGreen123) October 15, 2024
The day ended Ghulam's frustrating long wait for a place in the Pakistan team after he smashed a national record 1,249 runs in the 2020 season.
Ghulam led a fightback after Pakistan — who won the toss and batted — were struggling at 19-2 with England spinner Jack Leach striking twice in the first hour.
Ghulam added 149 for the defiant third wicket with Saim Ayub, who hit a career-best 77, and another 65 for the fifth wicket with Rizwan.
He reached three figures with a boundary off spinner Joe Root, taking 280 minutes and becoming Pakistan's 12th batter to score a century in his first Test.
With just half an hour before stumps, Ghulam was bowled by spinner Shoaib Bashir, ending a resolute 323-minute knock spiced with 11 fours and a six.
England employed a short mid-off and two mid-wicket fielders to get wickets but the Multan pitch — the same used for the first Test — gave very little help to the spinners after some early promise.
Skipper Ben Stokes, one of two changes from England's thumping innings win in the first Test, bowled five overs and showed no signs of the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the first Test.
Matthew Potts ended Ayub's knock with a catch at short mid-off while Brydon Carse removed Saud Shakeel for four, the dismissals coming either side of the tea interval.
Leach has figures of 2-92 while Bashir, Carse and Potts have a wicket each.
(With AFP inputs)
