Kamran Ghulam became the 13th Pakistani batter to score a century on debut.
Pakistan faced intense scrutiny after a crushing defeat to England in the first Test of the ongoing three-match series, prompting the selectors to drop several star players, including an out-of-form Babar Azam. Stepping in for Babar, Kamran Ghulam made his Test debut and silenced critics with an impressive performance.
Ghulam shone under pressure in Multan, coming to the crease with Pakistan struggling at 19/2 after opting to bat first. He played superbly, stabilizing the innings, and scored a memorable 118 off 224 balls on debut.
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At 29 years old, Ghulam has worked hard to reach the international stage. He made his first-class debut in the 2013/14 season and has since been a consistent performer, with 4,377 runs at an average of 49.17 in 59 matches, including 16 centuries and 20 fifties.
Ghulam has also performed well in List A cricket, accumulating 3,344 runs in 94 matches at an average of 42.32, including 8 centuries and 20 fifties. In T20s, he has played 73 matches, scoring 1,510 runs with a strike rate of 127.10.
He was called up to the Test squad for the home series against South Africa in 2021 but didn’t get a chance to play.
Before his Test debut, Ghulam made just one appearance for Pakistan in an ODI against New Zealand on Jan 2023, where he neither batted nor bowled. Interestingly, he doesn’t even show up in the official lineup for that match.
On that day, Haris Sohail was struck on the head by a fast bouncer from Lockie Ferguson. Sohail continued to play until his dismissal but was unable to return for the second innings. Instead of opting for a standard replacement fielder, Pakistan chose to use a concussion substitute, which allowed Ghulam to receive his first international cap. Although he was initially expected to contribute as a bowler, he ultimately did not bowl during the match.
Kamran Ghulam became the 13th Pakistani batter to score a century on debut. He also made history as the second Pakistani to achieve this feat while batting at number four, a position often regarded as the most crucial in Test cricket.
The only other player to score a debut century at number four for Pakistan was Saleem Malik in 1982. Additionally, Kamran Ghulam is now the second oldest player to score a century on debut, highlighting his impressive entry into international cricket.
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