Aamer Jamal played a crucial role when Pakistan needed someone to do well in the first innings of their first Test against Australia in Perth. The bowling unit of Pakistan seemed weak without Naseem Shah, who was injured, and Shaheen Afridi didn't perform well on the opening day after Australia won the toss and opted to bat.
Despite a challenging start on his Test debut at the age of 27, the right-arm pacer gained confidence, notably taking crucial wickets including centurion David Warner and Travis Head.
Jamal showcased his bowling prowess by delivering a series of deliveries that proved challenging for the batter, dismissing players like Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc. This impressive performance resulted in a six-wicket haul in his debut innings, with figures of six for 111 – marking the sixth-best performance for a Pakistani bowler on their Test debut. In the second innings, bowling for nine overs, Jamal added one more wicket to his tally, displaying growing confidence alongside fellow debutant pacer Khurram Shahzad.
Reflecting on his journey, the 27-year-old shared his determination to overcome rejections and prove naysayers wrong. Faced with challenges in making it to the Pakistan Under-23 squad, he turned to playing cricket in Sydney, even working as a taxi driver to sustain himself.
'STOP PLAYING CRICKET'
"Lots of people were pushing me to stop playing cricket and (saying) 'there's no hope'. I said 'no, there is always hope'. You have to go for it, You have to work hard for it. You have to work harder than others," Aamer Jamal told Channel 7.
“Yes, I played Pakistan U19 and I couldn't make it to first-class cricket for 4 years. I decided to move to Australia to play a couple of games here. I decided to play for Hawkesbury in Sydney in the New South Wales Premier League. I played 4 or 5 months here. And then I heard the Pakistan U23 tour is going to happen. I wanted to go there and represent my country again. I went back to Pakistan, and didn't get a chance in the U23 team.”
"After that... our financial situation was not that strong. So I hired a car from a bank lease. I started driving a taxi. It was too hard to manage my time in terms of getting enough room for practice. It was hard to keep my dream alive to play for Pakistan," he added.
Jamal's cricketing journey commenced in the dusty fields of Mianwali, where his talent shone in inter-region Under-19 tournaments. Making waves in 2014 with an impressive tally of 30 wickets at an average of 16.96 in five matches, Jamal faced challenges in the U19 series against Afghanistan, leading to a period of obscurity in lower-tier domestic cricket.
Undaunted by setbacks, Jamal persisted in honing his skills, and his dedication bore fruit with his first-class debut in 2018 for Pakistan Television. Securing 17 wickets at an average of 28.82, he gradually regained attention from selectors.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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