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Babar Azam congratulates Kamran Ghulam for scoring century on Test debut

Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam congratulated Kamran Ghulam on scoring a well-crafted century on Test debut.

Kamran Ghulam was included in Pakistan’s Playing XI for the second Test in place of star batter Babar Azam and he made an immediate impact with a century on his debut.

He came into bat with Pakistan struggling at 19-2 inside ten overs and helped the team recover with a 149-run stand with Saim Ayub for the third wicket.

His defiant knock under pressure in his debut Test earned him massive praise from star batter Babar Azam.

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The star batter posted a picture of Kamran, celebrating his maiden Test century and the caption on the picture read, “Well played, Kamran!”

With his maiden Test century, Kamran Ghulam became the 13th player from Pakistan to cross the three-figure on debut.

The last Pakistani player to achieve this feat was Abid Ali, who scored a century against Sri Lanka in December 2019.

Pakistan players to score Test century on debut

Khalid Ibadulla vs Australia — 1964
Javed Miandad vs New Zealand — 1976
Saleem Malik vs Sri Lanka — 1982
Mohammad Wasim vs New Zealand — 1996
Ali Naqvi vs South Africa — 1997
Azhar Mahmood vs South Africa — 1997
Younis Khan vs Sri Lanka — 2000
Taufeeq Umar vs Bangladesh — 2001
Yasir Hameed vs Bangladesh — 2003
Fawad Alam vs Sri Lanka — 2009
Umar Akmal vs New Zealand — 2009
Abid Ali vs Sri Lanka — 2019
Kamran Ghulam vs England — 2024It’s worth noting that Kamran is only the second Pakistani player to score a hundred on Test debut while batting at number four. Prior to him, Saleem Malik achieved this feat in 1982.
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Kamran Ghulam joins elusive list with debut century against England

Pakistan middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam has joined an elusive list after he scored a century on debut during the ongoing second Test against England in Multan.

Kamran was included in Pakistan’s Playing XI for the second Test in place of star batter Babar Azam and he made an immediate impact with a century on his debut.

He came into bat with Pakistan struggling at 19-2 inside ten overs and helped the team recover with a 149-run stand with Saim Ayub for the third wicket.

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With his maiden Test century, Kamran Ghulam became the 13th player from Pakistan to cross the three-figure on debut.

The last Pakistani player to achieve this feat was Abid Ali, who scored a century against Sri Lanka in December 2019.

Pakistan players to score Test century on debut

Khalid Ibadulla vs Australia — 1964
Javed Miandad vs New Zealand — 1976
Saleem Malik vs Sri Lanka — 1982
Mohammad Wasim vs New Zealand — 1996
Ali Naqvi vs South Africa — 1997
Azhar Mahmood vs South Africa — 1997
Younis Khan vs Sri Lanka — 2000
Taufeeq Umar vs Bangladesh — 2001
Yasir Hameed vs Bangladesh — 2003
Fawad Alam vs Sri Lanka — 2009
Umar Akmal vs New Zealand — 2003
Abid Ali vs Sri Lanka — 2019
Kamran Ghulam vs England — 2024

It’s worth noting that Kamran is only the second Pakistani player to score a hundred on Test debut while batting at number four. Prior to him, Saleem Malik achieved this feat in 1982.

READ: Ramiz Raja calls dropping Babar Azam a ‘knee-jerk reaction’

Ramiz Raja calls dropping Babar Azam a ‘knee-jerk reaction’

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has raised questions over the decision to drop star batter Babar Azam from the squad for the remaining two Test matches against England.

The newly appointed national men’s selection committee on Sunday dropped Babar, along with Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the ongoing second and upcoming third Test against England.

Babar has been under tight scrutiny due to his below-par performances recently, the highlight of which was his dismal run in the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh last month.

He managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings during the Bangladesh series, consequently, crashing out of the top ten list in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.

During the first Test against England, the right-hander managed scores of 30 and 5 before losing his place for the remaining matches of the series.

However, Ramiz Raja criticised the decision of selectors, calling it a ‘knee-jerk reaction’.

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While talking to former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on Sky Sports, Raja expressed his belief that Babar should have been asked if he wanted to rest.

“It should have been Babar’s call whether he wanted time out of the playing XI or not. It was a kneejerk reaction, new selectors in. The general opinion was he needed rest and he was taken out of the squad completely,” Raja stated.

It’s worth noting that Babar last crossed the 50-run mark in red-ball cricket back in December 2022 against New Zealand with a marathon 161-run knock. Since then, he has played 16 innings with a highest score of 39 against Sri Lanka in July 2023.

Despite Babar’s bad form, Ramiz Raja believes that he is still the biggest brand in Pakistan cricket and there are no other superstars in the country.

“We need to understand he sells cricket for Pakistan and there is always this debate happening in Pakistan on whether it’s going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he is going to make a comeback and that keeps things interesting,” he added.

“Right now, I don’t see any sellable commodity in this Pakistan team. The sponsors are a little wary as well because Pakistan have been on a losing sequence and there are no real superstars playing in this Test match.

READ: Saim Ayub among Pakistan players picked in BPL 2025 draft

Shoaib Bashir forces England’s comeback with Kamran Ghulam’s wicket

MULTAN: Debutant Kamran Ghulam fell in the dying minutes of the opening day after his maiden century kept Pakistan in command during the second Test against England here on Tuesday.

Mohammad Rizwan (37*) and Salman Ali Agha (5*) will resume the second day for Pakistan with the scoreboard reading 259-5.

The hosts lost Saud Shakeel (4) early in the final session with Jamie Smith taking a sharp catch behind the stumps.

Mohammad Rizwan joined Kamran Ghulam and took his time to settle in. Meanwhile, Kamran continued his strokeplay and scored his maiden Test century during the 65-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Kamran Ghulam scored 118 runs from 224 runs with the help of eleven boundaries before getting cleaned up by Shoaib Bashir.

Mohammad Rizwan was joined by Salman Ali Agha and they took the team to 259/5 at Stumps.

Pakistan had scored 173-3 with Kamran Ghulam playing at 75 and Saud Shakeel at 4 after the second session on Day 1.

The hosts enjoyed a fruitful session as Kamran and Saim frustrated England bowlers with their brilliant strokeplay.

Both batters completed their individual half-centuries during the 149-run partnership before Potts provided the breakthrough for the visitors at the stroke of Tea.

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Saim Ayub was caught by England captain Ben Stokes at short mid-off after scoring 77 runs from 160 balls, which featured seven boundaries.

The hosts scored 79-2 at Lunch on the first day with Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam on the crease at 40 and 29 respectively.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood opted to bat first after winning the toss, however, the decision seemed to backfire as the hosts slipped to 19-2.

On a spin-friendly Multan pitch, Jack Leach bowled Abdullah Shafique (7) and enticed Shan Masood (3) to flick in the air in the next over only to be caught by Zak Crawley.

Debutant Kamran Ghulam, who replaced Babar Azam in Pakistan’s Playing XI, joined Saim Ayub and together they launched the comeback for the home team.

Together they added an unbeaten 60 runs for the third wicket against England’s spin attack to push Pakistan’s total to 79-2 until Lunch was called.

It’s worth noting that England are leading the three-match series 1-0 after thumping Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in the first match at the same venue.

Pakistan’s Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.

England’s Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

READ: PCB issues show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman over Babar Azam post

England’s Playing XI for second Test against Pakistan announced

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, named their Playing XI for the second Test against Pakistan, marking the return of their regular captain Ben Stokes.

Stokes had been sidelined since August 2024 due to a torn hamstring which he sustained during this year’s edition of The Hundred.

The injury put the all-rounder in doubt for the Pakistan series but he recovered sooner than expected and eventually attained complete fitness for the second Test.

Ben Stokes replaced right-arm pacer Chris Woakes, marking one of the two changes made by the touring party. The second change saw Matthew Potts replacing the rested Gus Atkinson.

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The pacers experienced a stiff workload in the series opener on the surface, favouring the batters. Atkinson bowled a total of 39 overs across two innings, followed by Carse with 38, and Woakes with 35.

Atkinson and Woakes were a regular part of all the six Tests of England home summer while Carse is assumed to be well-rested, considering his absence due to a ban that spanned from June to August.

Meanwhile, left-handed batter Ben Duckett has been reinstated as England’s opener for the second Test against Pakistan after recovering from a dislocated thumb, suffered on the second day of the series opener.

As a result, Jamie Smith has been moved to No. 7 to accommodate Ben Stokes in his preferred batting position of No.6.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

READ: Pakistan unveil spin-laden lineup for second Test against England

Pakistan unveil spin-laden lineup for second Test against England

MULTAN: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, announced the Playing XI for the second Test of the three-match series against England, scheduled to run from October 15 to 19 at Multan Cricket Stadium.

After suffering a humiliating defeat by an innings and 47 runs in the series opener, the home side made an array of changes including dropping their star batter Babar Azam and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Experienced wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed and Naseem Shah were the other two key players dropped from the national team’s squad for the remainder of the series.

The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.

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However, out of the four replacements only Mohammad Ali failed to make a cut into Pakistan’s Playing XI for the second Test against England as the hosts will go with only one pacer, Aamir Jamal.

Earlier today, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also unveiled their Playing XI for the second Test which saw the return of their captain Ben Stokes, who had been sidelined since August 2024 due to a hamstring injury.

Pakistan’s Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.

England’s Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

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Hasan Ali reacts to Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi’s exclusion from Pakistan squad

Pakistan pace bowler Hasan Ali has backed teammates Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah, who were dropped from the national Test squad for the remaining two matches against England.

Babar, Shaheen and Naseem along with wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed were released from Pakistan’s squad earlier today for the second and third Test matches.

“Taking into consideration the current form and fitness of key players and looking ahead to Pakistan’s future assignments in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Abrar Ahmed (who is recovering from dengue fever) was unavailable for selection,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.

“The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.

“Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.”

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Hasan Ali, who is currently out of action due to an elbow injury, took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and extended his support to the players who were dropped from Pakistan’s squad.

“Tough times only make comebacks sweeter,” Hasan posted. “My brothers, you’re champions! You’ve done wonders for Pakistan and will continue do so. Keep believing and you’ll be back stronger than ever, Inshallah.”

The second and third Test between Pakistan and England are scheduled to be played in Multan and Rawalpindi on 15 and 24 October, respectively.

Pakistan Squad For Remaining Matches Against England

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

READ: England captain Ben Stokes in line for comeback in second Pakistan Test

England captain Ben Stokes in line for comeback in second Pakistan Test

England Test captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return to action in the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.

Stokes suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers during The Hundred 2024 back in August.

He tore his left hamstring which kept him away from cricket for the rest of the summer season, including the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

However, Ben Stokes was named in the squad for the Pakistan tour owing to his progress in recovery. He resumed light batting training in late August and participated in lengthy net sessions in September.

An England team spokesman said that Stokes practised with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.

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“Ben [Stokes] bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high-intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.

“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”

England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan announced their squad for the remaining two matches of the series. Star batter Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed as well as pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have been dropped.

Squads:

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

READ: Fakhar Zaman defends Babar Azam after England Tests snub

Fakhar Zaman defends Babar Azam after England Tests snub

Pakistan’s white-ball batting mainstay, Fakhar Zaman, has defended star batter Babar Azam, who was dropped from the squad for the upcoming two Test matches against England.

Earlier today, the newly appointed selection committee announced the squad for the upcoming second and third Test matches, which will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi on 15 and 24 October, respectively.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the squad through a press release on their official website.

“The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.

“Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.”

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Fakhar Zaman took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and expressed his disappointment over the suggestions to drop Babar. He cited the example of how India treated Virat Kohli during his rough phase from 2020 to 2023.

“It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively,” Fakhar posted.

The left-handed batter praised Babar, calling him the best Pakistani batter of all time, while highlighting the need to make calculated moves rather than ‘pressing the panic button.’

“If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them,” he added.

READ: Fatima Sana rejoins Pakistan squad ahead of Women’s T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand

Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi dropped from Pakistan squad for England Tests

MULTAN: Star batter Babar Azam and pace bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the remaining matches of the three-match Test series against England.

The newly appointed selection committee have announced the squad for the second and third Test matches, which will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi on 15 and 24 October, respectively.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the squad through a press release on their official website.

“The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.

“Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.”

Aqib Javed, the newly appointed member of the men’s national selection committee, has said that the decision to rest key players has been taken considering the interest of the Pakistan cricket team.

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“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule,” Javed said.

“With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges.

“They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger.

“At the same time, we are offering opportunities to uncapped players like Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, along with Mohammad Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood.

“They now have the chance to showcase their skills against a formidable England side. We believe they will rise to the occasion and make the most of this opportunity in the remaining two Tests.”

Pakistan Squad For Remaining Matches Against England

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