Kamran Ghulam hit a superb century on his debut to guide Pakistan to 259-5 on the opening day of the second Test against England in Multan on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old replaced out-of-form Babar Azam at number four and foiled England’s aggressive bowling and fielding to score a brilliant 118.

At close, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha were unbeaten with 37 and five respectively.

The day ended Ghulam’s frustrating long wait for a place in the Pakistan team after he smashed a national record 1,249 runs in the 2020 season.

Ghulam led a fightback after Pakistan – who won the toss and batted – were struggling at 19-2 with England spinner Jack Leach striking twice in the first hour.

Ghulam added 149 for the defiant third wicket with Saim Ayub, who hit a career-best 77, and another 65 for the fifth wicket with Rizwan.

He reached three figures with a boundary off spinner Joe Root, taking 280 minutes and becoming Pakistan’s 12th batter to score a century in his first Test.

With just half an hour before stumps, Ghulam was bowled by spinner Shoaib Bashir, ending a resolute 323-minute knock spiced with 11 fours and a six.

England employed a short mid-off and two mid-wicket fielders to get wickets but the Multan pitch – the same used for the first Test – gave very little help to the spinners after some early promise.

Skipper Ben Stokes, one of two changes from England’s thumping innings win in the first Test, bowled five overs and showed no signs of the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the first Test.

Matthew Potts ended Ayub’s knock with a catch at short mid-off while Brydon Carse removed Saud Shakeel for four, the dismissals coming either side of the tea interval.

Leach has figures of 2-92 while Bashir, Carse and Potts have a wicket each.
England fast bowler Matthew Potts removed opener Saim Ayub after a half-century before Pakistan reached 173-3 at tea on the opening day of the second Test in Multan on Tuesday.

Ayub and debutant Kamran Ghulam had lifted Pakistan from a precarious 19-2 with a third-wicket stand of 149 on a used pitch that assisted the spinners.

At the tea break, Ghulam was unbeaten on 75 while Saud Shakeel was four not out.

The left-handed Ayub scored a career-best 77 studded with seven boundaries before he miscued a push off Potts’s penultimate over before tea and was caught by captain Ben Stokes at short mid-off position.

Ghulam, who replaced Babar Azam in one of four changes from Pakistan’s innings defeat in the first Test, also in Multan, has so far hit five fours and a six.

Ayub and Ghulam lifted Pakistan to 79-2 at lunch, after England’s Jack Leach took two early wickets on a used pitch offering help to the spinners.

Ayub was unbeaten on 40 and debutant Ghulam 29 not out as the pair steadied Pakistan from 19-2 after the home team won the toss and opted to bat in Multan.

Returning England captain Ben Stokes turned to his spinners after just five overs on the same pitch used for the first Test last week and Leach soon struck.

Abdullah Shafique was bowled by Leach for seven in the eighth over of the morning with the score on 15.

In his next over, the left-arm spinner had captain Shan Masood caught low at short midwicket by Zak Crawley for three.

At lunch, Leach had 2-35 from 10 overs.

Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat Tuesday in the second Test against England in Multan.

England lead the three-match series 1-0 after an innings and 47-run victory in the first Test, played at the same venue.

The defeat — Pakistan’s sixth in as many Tests — prompted their selectors to drop ace batsman Babar Azam.

Also left out were pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, plus spinner Abrar Ahmed, who had been hospitalised with fever during the first Test.

Batsman Kamran Ghulam will make his debut in place of Azam.

Pakistan opted for three spinners in their attack in the shape of Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali with only one pace bowler, Aamer Jamal.

England captain Ben Stokes returns from a hamstring injury and fast bowler Matthew Potts comes into the side, with Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes left out from the first Test.

The third and final Test begins on October 24 in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood

England: Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Chris Gaffaney (NZL) TV umpire: Sharfuddoula Saikat (BAN) Match referee: Richie Richardson (WIS)