MULTAN: 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 118.
At close of an even day’s play, 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 domestic season.
Ghulam led a fightback after the hosts, who won the toss, 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.
Ghulam said his century was a reward for his wait.
“It is delightful to score a hundred and that too as a replacement for Babar Azam, who has been a great player for Pakistan,” said Ghulam, who had a big letoff on 79 when Ben Duckett failed to get a difficult chance off Leach.
“I saw that with a bated breath but Almighty was so kind on me,” said Ghulam.
“I just took it as a normal first-class match and never took the pressure of a bad start to the team’s innings.”
One of a dozen brothers, Ghulam said his century will be celebrated among his big family in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
One brother was there in person.
“It is a family occasion now with my younger brother watching in the stadium, so I am proud of the feat,” he said.
England too will be satisfied after an absorbing day’s play.
They employed a short mid-off and two mid-wicket fielders to get wickets after lunch 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 when the batsman patted to Stokes 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.
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 skipper Shan Masood caught low at short midwicket by Zak Crawley for three.
England lead the three-match series 1-0.
Pakistan’s heavy defeat last week — their sixth in as many Tests — prompted the selectors to make wholesale changes, with Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed dropped.
Other than Ghulam, Pakistan also brought in the spin trio of Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali, leaving them with only one fast bowler in Aamer Jamal.
Pakistan debutant Kamran Ghulam hits century to defy England in second Test
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Pakistan debutant Kamran Ghulam hits century to defy England in second Test
- The 29-year-old replaced Babar Azam and foiled England’s aggressive bowling and fielding to score 118 runs
- At close of an even day’s play, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha were unbeaten with 37 and five respectively
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
