Former England captain Nasser Hussain has heaped high praise on Pakistan’s middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam after he scored a century on his Test debut and compared him to Australian batting maestro Steve Smith.
Kamran was included in Pakistan’s Playing XI for the second Test in place of star batter Babar Azam and he made an immediate impact with a century on his debut.
He came into bat with Pakistan struggling at 19-2 inside ten overs and helped the team recover with a 149-run stand with Saim Ayub for the third wicket.
The right-hander played a defiant knock of 118 runs from 224 balls, laced with eleven boundaries and one six before falling prey to Shoaib Bashir.
Nasser Hussain appreciated Kamran after the conclusion of the first day while speaking on Sky Cricket. The former England captain praised the maturity of Kamran’s innings, during which he played both aggressively and defensively according to the balls.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
“He had to wait his turn. He’s been scoring prolific runs in the last three years. He got the right balance between attack and defence. They lost a couple of early wickets – on debut you want to get out there and that will have helped him,” Nasser said.
He went ahead and praised Kamran’s confidence and attitude, drawing a comparison with Steve Smith.
“Pakistan players generally love the sweep shot, he’s got that in his locker. He used his feet as well. He’s got a bit of Steve Smith about him when he defends the ball and charges. He’s got a bit of swagger about him,” he added.
With his maiden Test century, Kamran Ghulam became the 13th player from Pakistan to cross the three-figure on debut.
The last Pakistani player to achieve this feat was Abid Ali, who scored a century against Sri Lanka in December 2019.
Pakistan players to score Test century on debut
- Khalid Ibadulla vs Australia — 1964
- Javed Miandad vs New Zealand — 1976
- Saleem Malik vs Sri Lanka — 1982
- Mohammad Wasim vs New Zealand — 1996
- Ali Naqvi vs South Africa — 1997
- Azhar Mahmood vs South Africa — 1997
- Younis Khan vs Sri Lanka — 2000
- Taufeeq Umar vs Bangladesh — 2001
- Yasir Hameed vs Bangladesh — 2003
- Fawad Alam vs Sri Lanka — 2009
- Umar Akmal vs New Zealand — 2009
- Abid Ali vs Sri Lanka — 2019
- Kamran Ghulam vs England — 2024
It’s worth noting that Kamran is only the second Pakistani player to score a hundred on Test debut while batting at number four. Prior to him, Saleem Malik achieved this feat in 1982.
READ: Mohammad Haris says players prohibited to discuss India in dressing room