Aamer Jamal: Taxi driver turned Pakistan Test hero

Before the start of the series and especially the ongoing Sydney Test, there was a lot of talk about the lack of threat in the Pakistan pace-bowling line-up. Yesteryear's superstars Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, working as TV experts in the series, slammed the management for prioritising T20 cricket and resting spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

It's true that the line-up looked thin on pace in the absence of Shaheen, the injured Naseem Shah and speedster Haris Rauf, who opted out of the Test set-up. Despite all that, Pakistan, apart from one innings, took all of the available Australian wickets and at one point it was their game to lose in the second Test. 

The prime reason behind this unprecedented bowling success has been Aamer Jamal, who has taken the cricketing world by storm in his debut Test series. He has been the highest wicket-taker of the series (18) along with Pat Cummins but Jamal has bowled in five innings compared to the Australian captain's six.

It is interesting how Jamal was up against Cummins years after they first crossed paths while playing club cricket in Australia. Jamal, at that time, was a man trying to keep his family afloat by driving a taxi taken on lease in Australia after failing to break into Pakistan's domestic first-class system after his Under-19 stint.

His relatives urged him to leave cricket but he continued playing cricket intermittently to keep his dream of representing Pakistan alive. At one point, he heard of an U-23 tour and in an attempt to make the set-up, he returned to Pakistan. Despite decent showings, he could not make the team but Jamal landed domestic contracts before making his professional cricket debut in 2018.

The right-arm pacer made his international debut in 2022 in a T20I against England and won Pakistan the game by keeping a rampant Moeen Ali at bay. But the next few matches did not go too well. In the Asian Games semi-final, Jamal leaked 23 runs in five balls to gift Afghanistan a win.

He went into his debut Test match with pretty average numbers (76 first-class wickets at 32) but had a superb outing in the first innings despite not an easy start. He claimed six for 111 on his debut at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The ball with which he dismissed Alex Carey will be remembered for a while.

After a haul of seven wickets in Perth, he added five more to his tally in the second Test. But the 27-year-old saved his best for the final Test. Predominantly a bowler with two first-class fifties to his name, Jamal added 86 with Mir Hamza (seven off 43) for the 10th wicket to rescue Pakistan. 

He smashed nine fours and four sixes in his sensational 97-ball-82 batting at number nine and at one point, Cummins had five fielders at the boundary to stop the boundaries. 

Harsha Bhogle said on air, "If I was Jamal, I'd take a screenshot of this and show it to my grandchildren, [saying], 'You know what? The great Australian side set [this field] for me because they could not get me out in any other way'."

He pulled and hooked the pacers with courage and used his feet against the masterful Nathan Lyon. 

Seven years ago, he was at the SCG stand watching Pakistan play Australia and there he was walking back acknowledging the warm applause from the crowd after a knock for the ages.

The pacer picked up another six-fer in the ongoing Test to help Pakistan take a lead. His scalps included ones of Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Cummins. 

It was only the second time a Pakistan player played a knock of 80+ and took a six-wicket haul in the same Test match. The first one was the legendary Imran Khan. No other bowler has taken as many as 18 wickets in his debut series for Pakistan. 

"I am over the moon now. I feel proud to be representing my country at such a level and performing for them," Jamal said. "This is a wonderful achievement for me. It's been so long, I still remember those days when I came to watch the Pakistan games and now I represent my country. I just back myself every time. Even if I concede runs, I back myself. When you try to get a wicket, you give boundaries as well."

Although Pakistan failed to capitalise on that lead, Jamal's performance in the series will be one to cherish. Only time will tell if he has a great career or not but how Aamer Jamal managed to fulfill his dream despite numerous adversities is a big achievement in itself.