Debutant Nauman Ali completed a five-wicket haul to help Pakistan beat South Africa by seven wickets in the first Test at National Stadium, Karachi. In the process, the spinner created a handful of records.
On Day 4 of the match, Ali ran through Proteas' lower-order, taking the wickets of Temba Bavuma, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje before Lunch. He had taken Aiden Markram's wicket on Day 3.
He thus became the oldest Pakistani spinner to take a five-wicket haul in an innings on Test debut. He is the oldest debutant – 34 years and 114 days – to take a five-wicket haul in men's Test cricket history in 71 years. He is also the oldest spinner to do so in 87 years.
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He became the first Pakistan left-arm spinner to take five wickets on debut and the 12th Pakistani to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut.
"I was hopeful of getting a call-up after bowling well and taking wickets in the last two seasons of first-class cricket," the 34-year-old Nauman, who became the fourth oldest Test cricketer to debut for Pakistan, said in a virtual conference after making his bow.
He also became the first Pakistan left-arm spinner to take five wickets on debut and the 12th Pakistani to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut.
Coming from a small town 'Khipro', a subdivision of the Sanghar division in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Nauman is among a handful of players from the rural areas of the province to get a chance to play for the national team.
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"It has been a long journey. I was born and studied in Khipro but moved to Hyderabad to pursue a career as a professional cricketer with my uncle," he said. "My father works in the clerical staff of an oil factory in Hyderabad now."
Khipro is around 285 kilometers from Karachi and Nauman said it had not been easy for him to move to a big city as he belonged to a modest background.
Nauman took two wickets in the South African first innings total of 220 but impressed everyone with his disciplined line and length.
The second match in Rawalpindi starts on February 4.
The two teams will then play a three-match T20I series in Lahore, starting Februay 11.
