Kamran Ghulam, the right-handed batter who replaced Babar Azam as Pakistan's No.4 in the second Test against England in Multan and struck a century, was once smacked by pacer Haris Rauf during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match.

Babar Azam was rested from Pakistan team after a string of poor scores across formats. Kamran Ghulam, who previously played one ODI for Pakistan, was his replacement in the Pakistan XI. Ghulam made a patient 118 off 224 balls and became the 13th Pakistan batsman to score a century on Test debut and the first to do so against England.

Kamran Ghulam claimed there was a lot of expectation on him to perform after taking Babar Azam's spot in the team, and that his perseverance in domestic cricket over the last four years had finally paid off.

“It has been frustrating waiting for nearly four years to finally get a chance to play for Pakistan. I had so much passion and wanted to do well when I got the chance. I waited patiently as I knew sooner or later I would get my chance. I think years of grinding it out in domestic cricket has given me the temperament and skills to play on all sorts of pitches and all types of bowlers,” he said.  

Meanwhile, since Ghulam has starred for Pakistan in his first outing as Pakistan Test batter, videos of him being slapped by Haris Rauf during a PSL match have gone viral on social media.

The incident took place in a PSL match between Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars in 2022. In the video, Rauf, a Pakistani white-ball specialist, is seen slapping Ghulam, his teammate at the Lahore Qalandars, after picking up a wicket.

Although it appeared to be part of the team celebration—Ghulam also laughed and tried to make it light—Rauf's expression and the intensity of the slap left a sour taste.

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