Several questions were asked when Kamran Ghulam was picked as a replacement for Babar Azam for Pakistan’s second Test against England. The 29-year-old was able to silence the critics with his brilliant century in his debut Test innings in Multan on Tuesday, October 16.
Michael Vaughan was one of those who were not happy with Babar getting dropped from the squad. The former England captain labelled it as a “stupid decision” while calling Babar the “best player” in the team. Ex-Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali took a dig at Vaughan after Ghulam contributed with a hundred on the opening day of the second Test.
“The best thing about the knock was that he (Kamran Ghulam) came out to bat when the score was 19/2. They were saying before the match that it was wrong to rest Babar, and sponsors wouldn’t come. Show Ghulam’s picture to Michael Vaughan and tell him he is there,” Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel. The 53-year-old felt that Kamran Ghulam can be seen as a good replacement for Babar, who has been struggling in Tests since 2023.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), however, gave the former captain enough time to rediscover his form. Babar Azam featured in the opening Test against England and scored 35 runs across the two innings.
“PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be very happy today. He had given a statement that ‘there is no replacement at the moment’. But (selectors) Aaqib Javed & co introduced a new kid and he made a century on debut. The bold decision taken by the selectors can lead to the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” Basit Ali added.
Kamran Ghulam caught the attention of the selectors with his consistent performance in the domestic circuit. He has aggregated a total of 4377 runs in first-class cricket at an average of over 50. When Ghulam was called up, the Pakistan team management had clarified that Babar was not dropped but was rested.
Kamran Ghulam came in to bat at number four when Pakistan had lost two wickets at the score of 19. He breached the triple-figure mark facing 192 deliveries and ended his knock scoring 118 runs. Thanks to his gritty knock, Pakistan reached a respectable total of 259 at the end the first day’s play.
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