Babar Azam’s Instagram post for Kamran Ghulam’s debut Test century goes viral
Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam congratulated Kamran Ghulam for his sensational hundred on Test debut against England.
Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam (AP Photo)
In Short
- Kamran Ghulam scored a hundred on his Test debut
- Ghulam replaced Babar in the Playing XI
- Babar had a prolonged poor run in Test cricket
Pakistan Star batter Babar Azam congratulated Kamran Ghulam for scoring a magnificent hundred on his Test debut during Day 1 of the second Test against England at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan. Notably, Ghulam replaced Babar Azam in the playing XI and notched up a magnificent 118 (224) to help Pakistan bail out of early trouble after they were left reeling at 19/2 after opting to bat first.
The 29-year-old became the second oldest Pakistan batter to notch up a hundred on Test debut. His innings was studded with 11 fours and a six as he put up a magnificent exhibition of his strokeplay. Upon reaching his milestone, Ghulam was over the moon as he let out a loud roar and made a heartwarming gesture towards his father in the stands.
Ghulam got involved in a massive 149-run partnership with Saim Ayyub as the duo rescued Pakistan from a precarious position on 19/2. Ayyub also played a brilliant innings of 77 (160) with the help of seven fours. Courtesy of their partnership, Pakistan finished Day 1 on 259/5 in their allotted 50 overs with Mohammad Rizwan (37*) and Agha Salman (5*) at the crease.
Babar Azam’s prolonged poor run
Meanwhile, Babar was dropped from the Test team after his prolonged poor run in the format. Since 2023, he’s scored just 366 runs at an average of 20.33 with a highest score of 41 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
He hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 innings with his last big knock coming way back on December 26, 2022 when he scored 161 on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand in the first Test in Karachi. The former skipper got dismissed after scoring 30 and 5 across two innings in Pakistan’s massive loss in the first Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs.