Kamran Ghulam leads Pakistan rally against fast-starting England with debut ton

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England faced unexpected challenges from an unlikely opponent on a tricky pitch in Multan, as Kamran Ghulam, a product of the Huddersfield League, celebrated his debut century for Pakistan on the first day of the second Test.

Just four months after a brief period playing abroad for Hoylandswaine Cricket Club in Barnsley, 29-year-old Ghulam has shown that he can step up as a fitting substitute for his country's top batsman, Babar Azam, who was controversially given a break following England's convincing innings win last week.

Ghulam scored an impressive 118 runs while the home team set a total of 259 for five. The pitch was a bit unpredictable, showing some inconsistencies in bounce, but it didn’t transform into the difficult challenge that many had anticipated.

Pakistan's decision to utilize the same pitch for the series opener appeared risky at first, especially when England's spinner Jack Leach took two quick wickets within the first 10 overs. However, the 149-run partnership between Ghulam and Saim Ayub, who scored 77, helped alleviate those worries as the pitch began to settle.

The tourists seemed poised to reclaim the lead after securing two key wickets around the tea break. Matthew Potts got Ayub to play a loose shot after nearly four hours of solid batting, while Brydon Carse had Saud Shakeel caught behind.

However, Ghulam, who participated in eight matches in South Yorkshire during the summer before receiving a call-up for Pakistan A, successfully navigated the uncertainty.

He was eventually dismissed towards the end of the day while aggressively attacking Shoaib Bashir, who appeared quite relieved after having difficulty making an impact during his earlier overs.

Ben Stokes lost a coin toss that he really wanted to win but quickly expressed his frustration on the stump microphone, exclaiming, “It’s begun already, guys,” when a delivery from Potts zipped past at shin level and just outside off.

As some specialists predicted that the damaged pitch would perform unpredictably after being used for over 350 overs in the first match, concerns began to rise.

Stokes brought both spinners into the game after only five overs, and Leach quickly made his mark. He managed to beat the bat a couple of times before finally getting a wicket with his ninth delivery. Abdullah Shafique was the one dismissed; he tried to defend but didn't anticipate the turn, resulting in Leach hitting the off stump.

Home team captain Shan Masood narrowly avoided being dismissed without scoring when Leach appealed for a leg before wicket, but he didn't last long, making only three runs. He was skillfully caught low by Zak Crawley, leaving Pakistan at 19 for two as Babar's untested substitute came to bat.

The likelihood of a collapse increased when Leach bowled a good-length delivery that nearly took Ayub by surprise, as he narrowly avoided having the ball go directly to short leg. However, the danger slowly diminished as Ayub started to find ways to keep the scoreboard ticking over, while Ghulam eased any first-day jitters by hitting Leach for a six over long-on.

Stokes looked for a fresh advantage by changing Leach and Bashir's positions and bringing Joe Root into the mix, but they had a hard time getting into a good rhythm as the partnership for the third wicket grew to 60 by lunchtime.

The situation remained the same during the early part of the afternoon, as Leach and Bashir continued to bowl for an hour, allowing for a steady build-up of runs. The batters focused on being cautious, only occasionally attempting aggressive shots like a slog sweep. By the time their partnership reached 100 runs, they had managed to score just 30 runs through fours and sixes.

A shift in tempo worked well for England, as Carse bowled his first delivery that sharply turned inward. Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Stokes joined the action in the 49th over. In his first two overs, he managed to get Ghulam to nick the ball, but unfortunately for England, each time it raced through the empty slip area for four runs.

It seemed like England would head into tea without taking a wicket, but Potts maintained his focus and just before the break, Ayub played a shot that went straight to Stokes at short mid-off.

After the break, Carse managed to find Shakeel's outside edge, benefiting from his quick speed and a slight lateral movement. Jamie Smith was there to catch it.

Ghulam seemed to be losing his focus as well, with Ben Duckett almost catching a difficult chance from Leach on the 79th delivery, only managing to get one hand to it. Shortly after, an awkward swing at a delivery from Carse fell in a safe spot.

Humbled, he focused his efforts once more and managed to secure Pakistan's 13th debut century by hitting a boundary off Root.

As he saw the stumps in front of him, he paid a price for a brief moment of excitement when Bashir bowled him out while he was charging down the pitch.

Mohammad Rizwan continued to be a challenge for England, scoring 37 messy runs and benefiting from a slight edge that went unnoticed off Potts, resulting in a fairly balanced situation.