Pakistan’s Kamran Ghulam made a memorable test debut, scoring a century to guide Pakistan to 259-5 on the opening day of the second Test against England in Multan on Tuesday, October 15.
Ghulam, 29, who replaced the out-of-form Babar Azam at number four, showcased resilience against England’s aggressive bowling. He scored an impressive 118 runs. By the end of the day, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha were unbeaten on 37 and 5, respectively.
Ghulam’s long-awaited debut comes after he scored a record-breaking 1,249 runs in the 2020 season. His performance was a key part of Pakistan’s recovery after a shaky start at 19-2, with England spinner Jack Leach taking two early wickets.
In a defiant third-wicket stand, Ghulam and Saim Ayub added 149 runs. Ayub scored a career-best 77 before being caught at short mid-off by Matthew Potts. Ghulam further added 65 runs for the fifth wicket with Rizwan. He reached his century with a boundary off Joe Root, becoming the 12th Pakistani batter to score a century in his first Test.
Ghulam’s determined innings ended just half an hour before stumps, bowled by spinner Shoaib Bashir. His knock, lasting 323 minutes, included 11 fours and a six.
England’s tactics involved placing a short mid-off and two mid-wicket fielders, but the Multan pitch offered minimal assistance to the spinners after some early promise. Skipper Ben Stokes, recovering from a hamstring injury, bowled five overs without any discomfort.
Matthew Potts dismissed Ayub with a catch at short mid-off, while Brydon Carse removed Saud Shakeel for four. Leach ended the day with figures of 2-92, while Bashir, Carse, and Potts each took a wicket.
Earlier in the day, England had a strong start with Leach bowling Abdullah Shafique for seven and having Shan Masood caught by Zak Crawley for three. Pakistan’s team, undergoing significant changes after their sixth consecutive Test defeat, left out Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed. In addition to Ghulam, they brought in spinners Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood, and Noman Ali, with Aamer Jamal being the sole fast bowler.
England currently leads the three-match series 1-0.
