Pakistan's Kamran Ghulam smokes century on Test debut: Stats
Kamran Ghulam, who has replaced former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, made a dream debut in the ongoing second Test against England in Multan. He smoked a stunning century to power the home team. Ghulam and Saim Ayub stitched a solid 149-run partnership, taking Pakistan away from an early top-order collapse. The duo took the English bowling attack to the cleaners in the first two sessions of Day 1.
Ghulam's impressive performance against England's spinners
Ghulam, who has been a revelation in domestic cricket, brought up his half-century off 104 balls. He was particularly brutal against the spinners, smashing Jack Leach for an early six in his innings. Meanwhile, he brought up a century in the final session. As mentioned, he and Ayub (77) added 149 runs after the hosts were reduced to 19/2.
PCB drops Babar Azam for remaining Tests against England
Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, October 13, announced that it had dropped star batter Babar Azam for the remaining two Tests against England. Sarfaraz Ahmed and fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were also released from the squad. Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed was left out due to his recovery from dengue fever.
Pakistan's spin-heavy strategy for 2nd Test against England
For the second Test against England, Pakistan have included Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood in their playing XI. The move marks a shift toward a spin-heavy strategy in the crucial match. Ghulam, who made his Test debut with a First-Class record of 4,377 runs in 59 matches at an average of 49.17, indeed has big shoes to fill.