Scoring a century on Test debut is always a remarkable achievement, and so far, 115 Test cricketers around the world have earned this honor. Among them, 13 are from Pakistan, with the most recent addition being Kamran Ghulam as the 13th Pakistani batter to achieve this feat. Interestingly, this is the second time such an event has unfolded in Multan.
Just five days before this historic moment, Kamran Ghulam celebrated his birthday on October 10. Little did he know that this birthday would bring him such immense joy only five days later. Coincidentally, it was also five days before Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s 30th birthday, but he had no idea that he would be dropped from the playing XI for this match. As fate would have it, the spotlight turned to Kamran Ghulam.
Born on October 10, 1995, in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kamran Ghulam made his Test debut at the age of 29 years and 5 days. Despite having piled up runs in domestic cricket for several seasons, his opportunity to represent Pakistan at the highest level finally arrived, and he made the most of it. Playing in the second Test of the series against England, which began on October 15 in Multan, Ghulam walked in to bat at number 4 at a challenging moment when Pakistan had already lost two wickets for just 19 runs. Adding to the difficulty was the pitch, which remained unpredictable and unfamiliar to everyone.
Kamran Ghulam hit a six to start his innings and then a boundary. After batting with determination for 280 minutes, he reached his half-century off 104 balls.
Kamran Ghulam, a right-handed batter and slow left-arm spinner, has previously represented Pakistan U-19, Abbottabad, Lahore Qalandars, and Islamabad United. In first-class cricket, he has played 59 matches, scoring 16 centuries and amassing 4,377 runs at an average of nearly 50. His long-awaited Test debut came in the second match of the series on October 15, 2024, where he replaced Babar Azam in the playing XI. His memorable debut century not only lifted the spirits of Pakistani fans but also surprised English cricketers and commentators alike.
Kamran Ghulam completed his century in the third session of the day, reaching the milestone in 192 balls with the help of 9 boundaries and a six. He was given a reprieve on 79 when Ben Duckett dropped a difficult catch, and he went on to secure his century with a boundary off Joe Root.
This debut century in Multan was a remarkable achievement, showcasing Kamran Ghulam’s talent and resilience and leaving a lasting impact on both the Pakistani team and their English opponents.
Pakistani Players Who Scored a Century on Test Debut
The distinction of scoring a century on Test debut is a rare and celebrated achievement in cricket. Khalid Ibadullah was the first player from Pakistan to reach this milestone, playing against Australia in Karachi in October 1964. In his first Test game, he became the first batter from Pakistan to accomplish this feat.
In 1976, Javed Miandad, at just 19 years old, accomplished this feat against New Zealand in Lahore. Five years later, Saleem Malik, another batter from Pakistan, broke Miandad’s record. In March 1982, while playing in Karachi against Sri Lanka, Malik shared a 162-run partnership with his captain, Miandad, and scored 100* in the second innings. Malik broke a 19-year-old record by becoming the youngest player to score a Test century on debut at the age of 18 years and 323 days.
Mohammad Wasim was next in line, reaching the milestone in November 1996 in Lahore during his first Test match against New Zealand. Wasim scored an unbeaten 109 runs in the second inning. The following year, during South Africa’s first tour of Pakistan after their return to international cricket, Ali Naqvi emerged as Pakistan’s new opener in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Naqvi stood firm and scored 115 runs on his debut. In the same match, Azhar Mahmood, another debutant, scored an unbeaten 128. This marked the first time in Test history that two debutants from the same side scored centuries in the same innings—a record that still stands today.
From handing out the Test debut cap to being there for the 💯 moment 🫂 Kamran Ghulam 🤝 Mohammad Rizwan
Kamran Ghulam became the 13th Pakistani and the 116th player worldwide to score a century on a Test debut. Batting at the challenging No. 4 position, he joined a select group as the fourth batter in the world to score a debut century in that slot, following in the footsteps of Saleem Malik, who had also achieved this feat at No. 4.
Rawalpindi, once again, was the venue for another debut century when Younis Khan scored 107 in Pakistan’s second innings against Sri Lanka in 2000, despite being dismissed for just 12 in the first innings. In August 2001, during a match against Bangladesh in Multan, Taufiq Umar made his Test debut and scored 104 runs, becoming the first left-handed Pakistani batter to achieve this on debut. His opening partner, Saeed Anwar, also scored a century, making this the first time in Test history that two left-handed openers had both scored centuries in the same innings.
Interestingly, Pakistan’s innings in that match featured five individual centuries, a feat that had only been accomplished once before, by Australia in Kingston, Jamaica, against the West Indies in 1955.
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In August 2003, Pakistan faced Bangladesh in Karachi when another batter made his mark by scoring a century on his Test debut. Yasir Hameed played a remarkable inning, scoring 170 runs in Pakistan’s first inning, hitting 25 boundaries off 253 balls. This became the highest score by a Pakistani player on debut. Hameed followed up with another thrilling display of stroke play in the second inning, scoring 105 runs off 161 balls. This made him only the second player in Test cricket history, after West Indies’ Lawrence Rowe, to score centuries in both innings of his debut Test match.
In the Multan Test, Kamran Ghulam showcased immense grit, enduring pain while shining the ball with a cloth on his head, and remained unbeaten.
Fawad Alam became the second Pakistani left-handed batter to score a century on debut when he made 168 runs in the second innings against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2009. He had only managed 16 runs in the first inning but came back strongly in the second. Later that year, in November 2009, Umar Akmal made an immediate impact on his Test debut against New Zealand. Akmal struck a century in just 131 balls, with 16 boundaries and 2 sixes, eventually scoring 129 runs.
Abid Ali became the 12th Pakistani batter to score a century on Test debut, and at over 32 years of age, he was also the oldest to achieve this milestone. In December 2019, playing against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, Abid scored an unbeaten 109 runs in Pakistan’s only inning of the match. Earlier that year, Abid had made headlines by scoring 112 runs in his ODI debut against Australia in Dubai. This made him the first player in cricket history to score centuries in both his Test and ODI debuts. After his debut century against Sri Lanka, Abid continued his fine form and scored another century in the next match of the series. In the second innings of the second Test in Karachi, he scored 174 runs, becoming the first and only Pakistani to score centuries in each of his first two Test matches.
In the world of cricket, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal was the most recent batter to score a century on debut, achieving this feat in July 2023.
