As one of two new faces in the Pakistan Test side currently taking on South Africa in Karachi, we take a closer look at Test debutant Imran Butt.

What does Imran Butt do?

The 25-year-old has developed a name for himself in his homeland as a solid, top-order batsman. The right-hander represents Balochistan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class competition.

Butt has a decent record in first-class cricket with 4,478 runs under his belt. With a healthy average of 36.11, the opener is considered the best replacement for the dropped Shan Masood.

What’s his form like?

The batsman came to attention in 2019 when he was the top-scorer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, notching 934 runs in nine matches. He missed a lot of cricket in 2020, owing to the fact he was picked as a reserve, but did not play, on tours of England and New Zealand.

Butt’s last taste of first-class action came in December whilst representing the Shaheens (Pakistan’s A side) against New Zealand A.

He burst onto the scene in 2012, scoring 87 runs for once out on first-class debut for Lahore Shalimar. That started a bumper maiden season in which he scored 740 runs at 61.66, with two hundreds. He struggled to build on that impressive campaign at first, notching just at 2,376 runs at 28.63 in Pakistan from that season until the start of the 2019/20 season.

What international experience does Imran Butt have?

Butt’s first taste of international cricket came when he was selected on the tour to England during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his sole outing for the Shaheens against the Kiwi reserves, Butt could only muster 37 runs across two innings. He also played three times for Pakistan under-19s on a tour of England in 2013. Playing in a team which featured other future internationals Sami Aslam, Imam-ul-Haq. Hussain Talat and Zafar Gohar, Butt managed a high score of 34 against Bangladesh.