Ghulam's first century lifts Pakistan as England remains competitive.

Pakistan 259 for 5 (Ghulam 118, Ayub 77) vs England

In recent months, there has been little for Pakistan cricket to celebrate, but on the opening day of the second Test in Multan, Kamran Ghulam brought a much-needed spark of joy by scoring a determined century in his debut Test innings, rallying his struggling team.

Ghulam fell late in the day for 118, bowled by Shoaib Bashir while attempting to stay aggressive with the close of play approaching. His impressive debut helped Pakistan reach 259 for 5—a modest total compared to England's score on the same pitch last week, but a foundation to build upon nonetheless.

Despite the team's disappointing experience in the first Test, where they were dismissed for 556 and lost by an innings, Ghulam's steadfast performance, along with Saim Ayub’s career-best 77 and an uncharacteristically resilient 37 not out from Mohammad Rizwan, kept Pakistan on track for a potentially competitive total exceeding 300. This would be crucial if their spin-heavy bowling attack can exploit a pitch that underwent extensive watering and drying with industrial fans in the four days since the last Test.

However, Pakistan might face challenges from the resources they don’t have at their disposal. Jack Leach took two early wickets and has claimed nine in three innings on this surface, reinforcing his role as England's leading spinner. England's most significant threat emerged from a mid-afternoon spell of reverse swing expertly utilized by a seam attack comprising entirely of players from Durham, including Ben Stokes, who returned to captain the side for the first time since his hamstring injury in August. With both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah excluded from this match, much reliance will fall on Aamer Jamal if Pakistan aims to emulate their skills.

Thanks to Ghulam's efforts, those concerns can wait. At 29, he became the second-oldest Pakistani to score a debut century, achieving the feat with a joyful sweep through the leg side off Joe Root, after a nerve-wracking wait in the 90s that spanned the evening drinks break. Having invested over a decade in Pakistan's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and amassing over 4,500 runs at an average of 49, Ghulam might have feared his achievements would be overlooked.

His innings began under pressure at 19 for 2 by the tenth over, following Leach’s quick strikes, the first of which made him the first England spinner to take two wickets so early in a Test match since Johnny Briggs in 1889. Ghulam’s robust response showcased his understanding of the tough conditions and his trust in the techniques that finally drew attention to his talent.

Ghulam’s first boundary was a confident six over Leach’s head, and he reached his maiden half-century off 104 balls, a milestone that his more illustrious teammate Babar Azam had failed to achieve during his recent run of form.

Up until Stokes entered the attack midway through the afternoon, Ghulam had faced just two deliveries from fast bowlers in his first 120 balls, raising the stakes significantly. Stokes’ first over saw a thick edge fall just short of the slip cordon, forcing Root to don a helmet and move closer to the bat.

The next breakthrough came from the other end. Ayub's performance had been scrutinized during the series, largely due to his opening partnership struggles with Abdullah Shafique. Though they finally managed to reach double figures for the first time in nine innings, it was short-lived, as Leach bowled Shafique for 7, leaving Pakistan at 15 for 1. Shortly after, Shan Masood fell for 3, caught by Zak Crawley at midwicket.

Individually, however, Ayub has had a solid run at the top of the order, with this being his third half-century in four innings. As tea approached, he faced a challenging spell where Potts kept threatening his outside edge with swinging deliveries, leading to Stokes’ catch off a firm push from Ayub that left Pakistan at 168 for 3.

After tea, Brydon Carse, always energetic, troubled Saud Shakeel with an exceptional short ball, eventually forcing his edge for just 4 with a sharp 140kph delivery that went through to Jamie Smith. England could have further strengthened their position if Ben Duckett had held onto a chance offered by Ghulam on 79, who took on Leach aggressively.

Stokes’ economical bowling with his seamers paid off after lunch, with Carse keeping Rizwan under pressure for 19 balls without a run before Potts nearly made a game-changing breakthrough, with his first delivery to Rizwan zipping past the outside edge into Smith’s gloves. England opted not to review, despite replays showing the ball clipped the edge of Rizwan's bat.

England's efforts deserved another breakthrough before the close, and though Bashir had struggled earlier, he struck late in the day. With the second new ball in hand, he bowled a good-length delivery that Ghulam edged onto his leg stump, providing a crucial breakthrough that could impact Pakistan's quest for a formidable first innings total.