Ghulam says ‘wait is over’

MULTAN: One of a dozen brothers, Kamran Ghulam got used to waiting his turn for a bat as a child. He then had to wait for his Pakistan debut, but it all seemed worth it on Tuesday when he scored a century against England in Multan. The 29-year-old debutant made a terrific 118 on the opening day of the second Test, anchoring the hosts to 259-5.

Dawood, one of the 10 older brothers, said Ghulam had learnt to be patient from very early on. “We used to play cricket at our village and would not allow Kamran to bat on the pretext that ´you are very small´,” Dawood told AFP from Peshawar, in Pakistan´s northwest, on the phone.

“He was a good fielder so we used to order him to field only and like a very obedient boy he would follow, and that patience has seen him through difficult times.” Six of the brothers played for the same club in their village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would often be at loggerheads over who should bat first.

“It was normal to have a fight, but at the end of the day we always returned home happy and today we are at the height of our happiness,” said Dawood, 40. “Our late father always wanted Ghulam to become a good player but he died 22 years ago.

“He would have been the happiest in the family.” Since his first-class debut in 2013, Ghulam has piled on runs in all three formats of the game with his best coming in 2020-21 when he amassed 1,249 runs in 11 domestic matches. That broke a 36-year record.

Ghulam was included in Pakistan´s preliminary squad for a home series against South Africa in 2021 but was not given a chance. He said he knew his opportunity would come some day -- as long as he was patient. “They say the fruit of patience is always sweet and it is proved today,” said Ghulam after his opening-day heroics in Multan. “I was eager for my chance and had always thought whenever it will come I will make it worthwhile.”