Kamran Ghulam Steps In For Babar Azam As Pakistan Names Three Specialist

Kamran Ghulam Steps in for Babar Azam as Pakistan Names Three Specialist Spinners for the Second Multan Test

Pakistan has opted for a spin-heavy strategy in the upcoming second Multan Test, naming three specialist spinners in their XI. The team includes finger spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, alongside wrist spinner Zahid Mahmood. Additionally, Kamran Ghulam will debut for Pakistan, stepping in for Babar Azam at the crucial No. 4 position. This decision reflects the team’s determination to strengthen their bowling attack in response to recent challenges.

In a significant shake-up, Pakistan has replaced Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed from the squad that infamously became the first team to lose a Test by an innings despite scoring over 500 runs in their first innings. With this revised lineup, Pakistan aims to bounce back from their previous defeat and leverage their spin options on a pitch likely to favor slow bowlers.

Pakistan’s XI for the Second Test: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Zahid Mahmood.

After extensive discussions among the newly appointed selectors, the team made four changes: Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, and Aaqib Javed. During a training session on Monday, they collaborated with Shan Masood, Jason Gillespie, head curator Tony Hemming, and Usman Wahla, the PCB’s director of international cricket operations. This group met for nearly an hour beside the pitch, which will be used again for the second Test, carefully examining the cracks and footmarks to assess the playing conditions.

Pakistan’s Strategy: Spin-Friendly Pitch and Key Lineup Changes

Cricbuzz reported that the selectors instructed the pitch curator to create a surface that favored spin bowling right from the first day of the match. With only one fast bowler, Aamer Jamal, included in the lineup, Pakistan is expected to start the bowling with at least one spinner, likely Sajid Khan, as he did in Sydney earlier this year.

Noman Ali last represented Pakistan in July 2023, where he took seven wickets in the second innings of the Colombo Test, helping the team achieve a clean sweep against Sri Lanka. He was part of the squad that traveled to Australia for a three-Test series late last year but had to return home before the first Test due to acute appendicitis. Zahid Mahmood has played two Tests against England during the December 2022 home series. Although Noman and Mahmood were in the squad for the first Test of this series, they were released on the first day after Pakistan opted to field only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed.

Pakistan has made just one change to their top seven, with Kamran Ghulam replacing Babar Azam, who has been ‘rested,’ according to the Pakistan Cricket Board following the squad announcement on Sunday. Ghulam has been a standout performer in first-class cricket, scoring 4,525 runs at an impressive average of 49.72 over the past decade. The 29-year-old right-handed batter has been particularly prolific this year, hitting 13 first-class centuries and accumulating 1,055 runs at an average of 55.53 since the start of 2023.

Kamran Ghulam: A Rising Star Amidst Team Changes and Challenges

Ghulam was called up for Pakistan’s previous Test series against Bangladesh but was left out of the squad for the first Multan Test last week. His first Test call-up came during the 2022-23 series against New Zealand. Notably, during the 2020-21 season, Ghulam set the record for the most runs in a single edition of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, amassing 1,249 runs at an average of 62.45 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His outstanding performance that season earned him the “Domestic Cricketer of the Year” title from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Kamran Ghulam played just one ODI against New Zealand in January 2023 but did not bat or bowl in that match. The four changes made to the team highlight Pakistan’s urgent need to stop its troubling decline. They have lost six consecutive Tests under Shan Masood’s captaincy and have not won at home since February 2021.

In the first Test, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, and Saud Shakeel also bowled spin, adding depth to Pakistan’s spin bowling options and bringing their total to six spinners. This strategy aims to strengthen the team’s performance and address their recent struggles on the field.

If you enjoy IPL and T20 cricket, you can also explore opportunities for earning through T20 betting!

Katarzyna Nowak

Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for The Wicket Insider, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.