Pakistan's Test debutant, Aamer Jamal, played a crucial role in the dismissal of Australian batters David Warner and Travis Head during the first day's play which brought the Men in Green firmly back into the contest at Perth on Thursday.
The hosts were cruising riding on Warners' century and a timely dismissal of the batsman halted Australia's juggernaut. Jamal finished with impressive figures of 6-111 in his very first Test and helped his team dismiss Australia for 487 in 113.2 overs.
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Jamal made his international debut against England at Lahore on September 28, 2022, in a T20 match. Naseem Shah's hospitalization due to pneumonia, followed by a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, opened the door for Jamal to step in for his debut.
"I have so many happy words inside me which I can't articulate right now, this is the kind of excitement about my debut," he said after making his debut a year back.
"When I was told by Saqi bhai [Saqlain Mushtaq, head coach] I was like almost crying. I was asked about my plans and I said that I will only do what I have in my command and I won't go out and do what I can't. I will stay within my strengths and whatever is natural to me I will stick to it."
Who is Aamer Jamal?
Hailing from Mianwali but raised in Rawalpindi, Jamal's cricket journey began in 2013, participating in inter-region Under-19 and departmental Under-19 tournaments.
Although he initially gained attention with the Pakistan Under-19 team, taking 30 wickets at 16.96 in five matches in the 2014 inter-regional tournament, his impact faded after a series against the Afghanistan Under-19s.
After some time in the lower tiers of domestic cricket, Jamal resurfaced, making his first-class debut in 2018 for Pakistan Television picking up 17 wickets at an average of 28.82.
In June 2023 he marked another milestone as Jamal was named in the Pakistani Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka. But he remained as a bench warmer. And coincidentally, it was only after an injury to Abrar Ahmed that he was named in the starting XI against Australia on December 14.
What did Jamal say after picking up Warner and Head?
"In my first spell, I couldn't find my rhythm. In my second spell, I felt better. Later, I spoke to the captain and wanted another spell. We planned for both of them (Warner & Head) with short balls, and that helped us succeed. Head was playing the cut shot well so it was our plan to have the (catching) fielder outside the circle. He was playing the shot even if it wasn't that short, so that's how we got him out," Jamal told reporters.
"I've been to Australia in 2017 where I played in Sydney. Playing in Australia against Australia is always challenging. Both bowlers are bowling well with the second new ball. We're planning to get them out in the first hour tomorrow morning. Both batsmen are playing their shots so if they're doing that, we might get them early on."
Aamer Jamal Career Stats
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 4 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 41 | 21.66 | 34 | 191.17 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| FC | 28 | 37 | 5 | 658 | 80* | 20.56 | 1178 | 55.85 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 11 | 16 |
| List A | 29 | 24 | 1 | 298 | 74 | 12.95 | 334 | 89.22 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 12 | 9 |
| T20s | 24 | 22 | 6 | 334 | 47* | 20.87 | 217 | 153.91 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 16 | 10 |
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 4 | 4 | 53 | 90 | 1 | 1/13 | 1/13 | 90.00 | 10.18 | 53.0 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 28 | 45 | 4088 | 2476 | 76 | 8/120 | 8/120 | 32.57 | 3.63 | 53.7 | 1 | 3 |
| List A | 29 | 29 | 1273 | 1429 | 48 | 5/75 | 5/75 | 29.77 | 6.73 | 26.5 | 1 | 1 |
| T20s | 24 | 24 | 460 | 768 | 25 | 3/27 | 3/27 | 30.72 | 10.01 | 18.4 | 0 | 0 |
Full 2023-24 Australian men's summer of cricket schedule
| Fixture | Format | Date | Venue |
| Australia vs. Pakistan | Test | Dec. 14-18, 2023 | Perth Stadium |
| Australia vs. Pakistan | Test | Dec. 26-30, 2023 | MCG |
| Australia vs. Pakistan | Test | Jan. 3-7, 2024 | SCG |
| Australia vs. West Indies | Test | Jan. 17-21, 2024 | Adelaide Oval |
| Australia vs. West Indies | Test | Jan. 25-29, 2024 | The Gabba |
| Australia vs. West Indies | ODI | Feb. 2, 2024 | MCG |
| Australia vs. West Indies | ODI | Feb. 4, 2024 | SCG |
| Australia vs. West Indies | ODI | Feb. 6, 2024 | Manuka Oval |
| Australia vs. West Indies | T20 | Feb. 9, 2024 | Bellerive Oval |
| Australia vs. West Indies | T20 | Feb. 11, 2024 | Adelaide Oval |
| Australia vs. West Indies | T20 | Feb. 13, 2024 | Perth Stadium |
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