Kamran Ghulam’s debut hundred gives Pakistan timely lift against England
It's still unclear whether Pakistan's team selection, which drew more skepticism than optimism before the match, was a well-thought-out decision or a last-minute gamble. So far, only one of their key choices has been put to the test, and that was Kamran Ghulam, who lived up to all expectations. Despite entering the game in a challenging situation—his team struggling at 19 for two—he had an ideal start to his Test career. His innings embodied the idea of taking things gradually, and he ultimately finished the day with an impressive score of 118, helping his team reach 259 for five by the end of the first day.
Kamran earned his selection after a remarkable season of domestic first-class cricket last winter, along with a couple of impressive performances in the recent one-day President’s Cup. He also spent part of the summer playing for Hoylandswaine in the Huddersfield League, where he faced just one dismissal in six innings and boasted an impressive average of 244. Additionally, he stepped into this role amid a slump in form from former Pakistan captain and national icon Babar Azam. At 29, Kamran brings a wealth of experience to the table, though he had the daunting task of filling big shoes. As he prepared to enter the match, the atmosphere must have added to his nerves, yet he showed no signs of anxiety as he focused on his game. In his first 15 deliveries, he managed four singles and displayed solid defensive skills, before hitting his 16th ball down the ground for six.
That moment stood out in an innings that favored caution over boldness. His ability to wait for the right moment was especially remarkable, and throughout his 224 balls at the crease, he only faltered twice. The first was after a frustrating stretch of twelve consecutive dot balls, when he hurriedly went after Leach and mishit the ball, narrowly evading Ben Duckett at midwicket. The second misstep came after he faced eleven more dot balls, interrupted only by a single. In this instance, he charged at Bashir—a hasty, unwise choice that he quickly regretted—and ended up getting bowled.
Saim Ayub teamed up with Kamran to score 149 runs for the third wicket, helping Pakistan recover after a shaky start. As has often been the case recently, one opener got out for a low score while the other made a significant contribution: in the first innings of the opening Test, Saim was dismissed for just four runs while Abdullah Shafique scored a century. In this match, Shafique could only manage seven runs, but Saim impressively scored 77, despite surviving a couple of close calls when the ball ricocheted off his edge or glove and eluded fielders.
Even though Shan Masood didn’t perform well with the bat, he did excel in what was likely his most critical role. The day began with a pivotal toss for Pakistan’s captain, one that could potentially save his career. The team's strategy relied heavily on getting the best batting conditions at the start of the match and favorable conditions for spin bowling as it progressed. As the coin flipped in the air, you could sense his anxiety about England possibly batting first on a still calm pitch, facing a mix of part-time spinners and a third-choice pace bowler. However, just like last week, the toss went in his favor this time; now it was essential for them to capitalize on this opportunity.
In what raised some eyebrows, England began their innings on the same pitch that hosted last week's opening Test, opting for five overs of pace bowling before switching to spin. Jack Leach quickly validated this choice by becoming the first English spinner since 1889 to claim two wickets within the first 10 overs of a Test match. Surprisingly, there was still plenty of assistance for the fast bowlers; around the middle of the afternoon, Ben Stokes took to the bowling attack for the first time. Soon, England's seamers were picking up on the hint of reverse swing, chasing it eagerly, much like a more athletic, monochromatic version of the Bisto Kids.
On this ground, which was specially chosen and set up to support spin bowlers, England bowled for 15 straight overs using seam bowling, managing to take two wickets while only giving away 40 runs. During most of this period, there were several fielders positioned in a menacing arc around the batsman, leaving large areas of open grass behind. Potts mentioned, “We've noticed a few deliveries keeping low, but overall, the pitch seems decent. It’s a bit on the slower side, but it’s been okay. I believe there’s still an advantage to seam bowling on this surface, but we’ll need to see how the match unfolds.”
During the match, the players gradually worked their way back into the competition after an extended stretch where the batsmen accumulated runs at a sluggish pace but appeared to be at ease. It was a pivotal five-over performance from Stokes that set the tone, although it was Potts and Carse who claimed the wickets. Just before the tea break, Saim fell into England's trap, handing Potts a well-deserved wicket by hitting a catch to Stokes under the fielding umbrella. Shortly after the break, Carse bowled one that subtly angled away and took the edge of Saud Shakheel's bat.
This brought Mohammad Rizwan to the pitch, where he began his innings in an odd and quite unappealing manner. Other than a beautiful sweep shot against Leach, for the first 50 balls, Rizwan, who is 32 and entered his 34th Test with an average of 42.66, showed little indication that he knew how to handle the strangely-shaped bat in his hands.
Amidst the confusing signals from the pitch, the most baffling aspect of the day was how Rizwan managed to get through that phase, despite not really deserving to. He needed 20 balls just to score a single run, and on his 22nd ball, he edged it to Smith—only the bowler heard the contact. Potts asked for a review but didn’t get much support, while Stokes shook his head not only at that moment but also a short while later when the big screen revealed that the review would have been successful. “It’s frustrating to have little things like that happen,” Potts commented, “but we’ve made chances throughout the day, and I’m sure we’ll create more tomorrow.”
