Aamer Jamal, a fast bowler, made a stunning debut by becoming the 14th Pakistani player to grab a 5-wicket haul in his first Test match.
On the second day of the Perth Test, Aamer finished with remarkable figures of 6 for 111, playing a crucial role in dismissing Australia for 487, just after lunch.
Before Jamal, several others, like Arif Butt, Mohammad Nazir, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Zahid, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Yasir Arafat, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Bilal Asif, Nauman Ali, and Abrar Ahmed, had also achieved this feat in their Test debuts.
Jamal stands as the second Pakistani, following Arif Butt, to accomplish this feat on Australian soil, reminiscent of Butt’s achievement in Melbourne back in 1964.
These bowling figures by Jamal rank as the sixth-best by a Pakistani player in their Test debut, marking his exceptional start in international cricket.
In the same game, another debutant for Pakistan, Khurram Shahzad, secured two wickets in Australia’s first innings. Shaheen Afridi and Faheem Ashraf also contributed with a wicket each.
David Warner led the hosts’ batting charge with a score of 164, while Mitchell Marsh played a brisk innings of 90 runs.
Pakistan’s last Test victory in Australia dates back to late 1995, a time when many of the current players weren’t even born. Now, facing the Pat Cummins-led Australian side, the reigning world Test champions, Pakistan seeks to change that record.
Here are the lineups for both teams:
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad