Babar Azam's 30th birthday did not go as planned after he was dropped from the Pakistan squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test of the ongoing series against England. Babar was replaced by Kamran Ghulam in the playing XI for the second Test, who earned his debut Test cap.

Ghulam made the most of his chance after not just replacing Babar in the line-up but also taking his prestigious number four spot.The 29-year-old justified his selection by becoming only the 13th Pakistan player in history to score a Test century on debut.

Ghulam walked out to bat at 19-2 after Shan Masood won the toss and chose to bat first. He put up a 149-run partnership with Saim Ayub.Ultimately, he made a knock of 118 and helped Pakistan finish the day in a strong position of 259-5.

Ghulam's century has ensured that Babar's comeback to the squad will not be straightforward but the former Pakistan captain showed a big hearts and hailed the debutant for his incredible effort. Babar took to Instagram and put out a heartfelt three-word post for the 29-year-old

'Well Played Kamran,' wrote Babar Azam.

Babar had a nightmare run of form in Test cricket having gone 18 innings without a fifty. Since the start of 2023, Babar made just 352 runs in nine matches (17 innings) at an average of 17.50. Kamran's innings was the first instance of a number four batter scoring a half-century for Pakistan in Test cricket since December 2022.

Despite his axe from the Test squad, Babar is likely to be picked for Pakistan's upcoming white-ball tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Shan Masood-led side have to play a two-match Test series away to South Africa and it remains to be seen if Babar will be recalled.

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