When the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped their former captain Babar Azam for the second of the three-match Test series against England in Multan to hand Kamran Ghulam a debut in the red-ball format, the former England captain Michael Vaughan addressed the decision as a ‘stupid’ one.
But once Kamran Ghulam incredibly celebrated his century on the opening day of the second Test match, the former middle-order batter of the Green Brigade, Basit Ali, didn’t miss the chance to get under the skin of Vaughan. Coming at two down for 19 runs, the Khyber Province displayed his skills to tackle both the pace and spin while scoring 118 runs in 224 balls.
Coming into the game, Kamran had collected 4377 runs in the first-class format at an average of nearly 50 and a strike rate of over 50, shouldering on 16 centuries and 20 half-centuries with a best score of 166. He put up a crucial 149-run stand for the second wicket with the opening Saim Ayub.
Basit Ali bashes former England captain for a statement on Kamran Ghulam
The 29-year-old replaced Babar in the squad after the board decided to drop their veterans along with two pacers, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, and wicket-keeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed for the second Test match in Multan.
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“PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be very happy today. He had stated that ‘there is no replacement at the moment.’ But (selectors) Aaqib Javed and Co. introduced a new kid (Kamran Ghulam), and he made a century on debut.” The former batter of the Green Brigade expressed this in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
However, when the decision to drop Babar was made, the former players didn’t take it on a light note, while many players around the globe had a go at the board, and Vaughan was part of the side.
“So Pakistan hasn’t won in a while. Go one nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in Babar Azam. I guess Pakistan Cricket is full of surprises but, thus, tops the lot. Absolutely stupid decision unless he has asked for a break.” Vaughan made the point.
Before the toss, during a discussion on Sky Sports with two former England captains, Nasser Hussain, and Micheal Atherton, the former chairman of the PCB and the World Cup winner, Ramiz Raja, believed that it wasn’t the right decision to drop the batter, who sells cricket for Pakistan.
However, Basit trusted that because Kamran Ghulam had scored a century, it would open the door for the domestic performers to play for the national side.
“They were saying before the match that it was wrong to rest Babar, sponsors won’t come.” The former middle-order batter remarked. “Show the picture of Kamran Ghulam to Vaughan and tell him he is there.”
“The bold decision taken by the selectors can lead to the betterment. Like Rohit Sharma had said, there (in India), give domestic cricket its due.” The veteran added.
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Winning the toss, Pakistan decided to bat first and finished with 259 for the loss of five wickets on a pitch that was six days old, having been used for the entire period of the opening Test at the same ground. Kamran Ghulam was excellent against both the pacers and spinners, as he used his class and his feet incredibly well.
Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan stayed unbeaten to the end of the first day’s play.