After securing a five-wicket haul on Test debut in Perth last week, Pakistan debutant Aamir Jamal immediately dropped to the turf, resting his forehead to the ground. He looked to the skies, taking a moment to thank Allah before celebrating the breakthrough with his teammates.
Jamal had just become Pakistan’s first touring debutant to take a five-wicket haul in Australia since 1967, and there would have been two brothers in western Sydney beaming with delight at the Pakistani’s achievement.
Pat and Chris Lawrence, who represent Hawkesbury Cricket Club, briefly put up Jamal during his tenure at the Sydney-based club in the 2016/17 club. The then 20-year-old, who had represented Pakistan at Under-19 level, was struggling to break into the nation’s first-class system, with Hawkesbury offering him an opportunity to refine his skills in Australia.
Jamal, who was still learning English at the time, couldn’t afford accommodation in Sydney, with the Lawrence brothers offering to host the Pakistani bowler, their newest teammate.
Watch Australia v Pakistan on Kayo Sports. Every Test match Live with no ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
Seven years later, Jamal would return to Australian shores for his Test debut, taking 6-111 in the first innings against the reigning world champion.
His fifth victim of the Perth Test, rival captain Pat Cummins, had actually played against Jamal during that 2016/17 summer while representing Penrith Cricket Club. Cummins probably didn’t think much of Jamal’s bowling at the time, but the right-armer’s dismissal of Alex Carey in Perth would have caught the Australian skipper’s attention.
Coming from around the wicket, Jamal nipped a length delivery away from the left-handed wicketkeeper, with the Kookaburra clipping to the top off stump, dislodging one bail. It was an early contender for ball of the summer, with footage of the dismissal quickly circulating social media channels.
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram, watching on from the Perth Stadium commentary box, was particularly impressed with how Jamal varied his pace and length throughout the match, which the tourists lost by 360 runs.
“He got better and better,” Akram told Fox Cricket.
“He was gaining confidence, he was gaining rhythm.
“He’s only going to get quicker, that’s a good sign.
“I hope Pakistan sticks with him, not just on this tour, but in the future as well.”
Akram had already gotten a glimpse of Jamal during this year’s Lankan Premier League while representing eventual champions B-Love Kandy. However, the Pakistani seamer only took one wicket across the T20 campaign.
“He was quick, but he was wayward,” Akram noted.
Jamal’s opening two spells of the Perth Test against Australia could have also been described as wayward. The 27-year-old copped a hiding from centurion David Warner during the morning session of day one, conceding 42 runs from his opening eight overs.
Countless touring quicks have fallen into the trap of bowling a fraction short on Australia’s bouncy decks, and Jamal was no exception. Rarely exceeding 135km/h, he didn’t possess the speed needed to rattle Australia’s world-class batters.
“He got drained by the pressure of playing a Test match at the mighty Australians,” Akram continued.
Jamal was forced to improvise; after the tea break, he pushed the field back and resorted to an old-fashioned bouncer barrage, which paid dividends. He knocked over Warner and the dangerous Travis Head in the evening session, cleaning up the Australian tail the following morning to finish with six wickets on Test debut.
Jamal’s path from Pakistan Under-19 representative to Test cricketer was anything by smooth sailing. After his cameo at Hawkesbury, he returned home and took out a bank loan to buy a car, working as a taxi driver in Islamabad while he pushed for selection in the national Under-23 team.
He didn’t make his first-class debut until after his 22nd birthday, taking 4-28 while representing Pakistan Television in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Several years later, he would make maiden appearances in the Pakistan Super League and played a handful of T20Is against England.
Jamal’s first-class record is modest at best, taking 76 first-class wickets at 32.57 before touching down in Australia. He went wicketless in this month’s warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI, but injuries opened the door for a Test debut in Perth.
“Lots of people were pushing me to stop playing cricket and (saying), ‘There’s no hope’,” he told Channel 7 last week.
“There’s always hope.”
Discussion about this post