Shan Masood: “I can’t even imagine the pressure someone can be under, but we were all behind him. From the get-go, he seemed like he belonged. To get that century, that was special”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has admitted that he can’t imagine the pressure middle order batsman Kamran Ghulam was under when he made his debut in the recent three-Test series against England.
Ghulam replaced Babar Azam in the playing XI and on debut in the second Test in Multan, he stamped his authority, scoring a breathtaking 118.
Masood noted that the 29-year-old looked like he belonged in the team right from the beginning and is rooting for him to score even more runs in the future.
“I think for Kami (Kamran Ghulam), it’s never easy when you’re replacing one of the best batters in the world (Babar Azam). I read some things that were horrid even before he played his first Test match, so I can’t even imagine the pressure someone can be under, but we were all behind him. From the get-go, he seemed like he belonged. To get that century, that was special,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Ghulam ended up scoring 147 runs at an average of 49 as Pakistan beat England 2-1, which gave them their first Test series win at home since 2021.
The Upper Dir native was then involved in Pakistan’s limited overs series against Australia, which consisted of three ODIs and three T20Is.
Ghulam only batted once in the ODIs and made five runs, but Pakistan still proceeded to claim a 2-1 win, which was their first ODI series win in Australia since 2002.
He didn’t feature in the three-match T20I series that followed, which the men in green lost 3-0.
Ghulam is now in Zimbabwe and struck 120 runs in three ODIs, which included a career-best 103, at an average of 60.
Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1.
As for the ongoing T20I series, Ghulam was not named in the squad.
Pakistan are 1-0 up going into the 2nd T20I, which will be held on December 3 in Bulawayo.
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe ODI Series: Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe T20I Series: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
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