"I'd been waiting for my chance a long time but I never gave up" - Kamran Ghulam after his heroics on Day 1 of PAK vs ENG 2024 2nd Test
Pakistan batter Kamran Ghulam has revealed that he never gave up despite missing out on his international debut after coming close numerous times before. The right-hander's statement came after his century on Day 1 of the second Test against England in Multan.
Ghulam, having scored 4000 first-class runs, debuted in Multan and played at No. 4 in Babar Azam's place. The 29-year-old impressed in his first international appearance and scored 118, holding Pakistan's innings together on a tricky surface.
Speaking at a press conference after Day 1 of the ongoing Test, Ghulam said he wanted to deal with the situation positively despite Pakistan losing a couple of wickets. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
"I'd been waiting for my chance a long time but I never gave up. I had been waiting for my chance. That's all I thought about. I kept being selected and then omitted from squads, and all I used to think about was how to take the chance I'd been given. When I came to the wicket we'd lost two wickets. But I wanted to play with a positive mind like I do in first-class cricket."
The all-rounder credited his hard work behind scoring runs against England, elaborating:
"I've scored a lot of first-class runs. I didn't care about the venue or the team, I just needed to make my debut. I knew I had a lot of hard work behind me, and thankfully that work has paid off for me."
The right-handed batter had also experienced a good Champions One-day Cup, aggregating 250 runs in six innings at 41.66.
"Babar is a very good player" - Kamran Ghulam
Ghulam also suggested that he was focussed on the task at hand instead of thinking of himself as Babar's replacement. On this, he added:
"Babar is a very good player and at the back of my mind I was thinking he's a legend, a very good player. But I thought I'd give 110% and play with a positive mindset. I knew I had to take my opportunity."
Pakistan finished the day with a total of 259-5, with Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha at the crease.