New Delhi: Uncapped Pakistan all-rounder Kamran Ghulam is set to make his Test debut on Tuesday, October 15, after he was named in Pakistan’s playing XI for the second match against England in Multan. The 29-year-old will replace star batter Babar Azam in the Shan Masood-led team.
This wasn’t the first call-up for Ghulam to the national side. He received his maiden call-up for Pakistan in the 2021 tour of Bangladesh, where the Babar Azam-led side played two Test matches. Ghulam didn’t get the opportunity to don the Whites then, but the wait is over after nearly three years.
Hailing from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kamran toiled in the domestic circuit for more than a decade. He has scored 4377 runs at an average of 49.17 in 59 first-class matches with the help of 20 fifties and 16 centuries.
Ghulam has made his international debut for Pakistan against New Zealand in January 2023 in Karachi, though he didn’t bat or ball in that match. He also offers left-arm orthodox spin, which makes him a specialist all-rounder in subcontinent, having claimed 28 wickets in 52 innings at an average of 45.92. He has also played for Pakistan Shaheens (Pakistan A cricket team) in many of their tours, including the recent home series against Bangladesh A in August.
In the 2020-21 domestic season, Ghulam became the first cricketer to score more than 1000 runs in a particular season of the Qaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Kamran Ghulam’s journey to competitive cricket after tape ball experience
As the norm in Pakistan cricket goes by, many emerging players experienced cricket by playing the tape ball forma in their young days. It was no exception for Kamran Ghulam who would play cricket on streets and called himself as legend in tape ball cricket, as quoted by PakPassion.net.
“I was in my own little world playing tape ball cricket in the local parks and streets, but some members of my family said to my brothers that they should take me to Peshawar and attend the trials. A lot of people were impressed with what I was doing in street and tape ball cricket and therefore suggested that I should perhaps take my cricket more seriously,” Kamran told PakPassion.net.
He impressed the coaches and other senior players during the trials, but struggled in the initial phase in the world of competitive cricket. It was just a matter of time before the Abbottabad player scored runs and picked wickets on regular instances and turned into match winner for whichever team he participated for.
Kamran Ghulam rose to the rankings through the U-19 setup, having participated in the 2014 U-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ghulam can establish a name for himself as Pakistan needs someone to uplift their moral to end the drought at a Test match in home conditions.
Hailing from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kamran Ghulam toiled in the domestic circuit for more than a decade. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
