Nearly five years ago, at the U19 World Cup in South Africa, there was buzz around Mohammad Huraira – and not just for being related to Shoaib Malik. He'd entered the tournament after topping the run-scorers' chart in Pakistan's U19 One-Day competition. The then 17-year-old did not hesitate to speak about the influence of Malik’s decorated cricketing accomplishments. By the time his U19 debut came in the quarter-final, and he scored a fifty, you understood why he had a bright future ahead.
At 22, Huraira is one of Pakistan’s finest young first-class products, averaging 56.24 from 39 games with nine centuries. The last of those came in a thumping win for Pakistan Shaheens against Bangladesh A, when he smashed a 247-ball 218 in Darwin. Looking at some of the shots, you could see the traits of a classic Test opener: compact, not flashy, playing close to his body with a clear understanding of the gaps in the field.
You feel it even more when Huraira describes his approach: “Patience is key in red-ball cricket. You cannot switch off as the conditions are challenging and they continue to evolve with each passing hour," he told PCB Digital last year. "You need to have a sharp mind to score runs. Self-awareness is of utmost importance as knowing your strengths and weaknesses help you in match situations.”
Quite visibly, his bottom hand is highly dominant, as can be seen with his drives and cuts, almost like a lanky, but more intent-filled Cheteshwar Pujara. When you look at his brisk scoring rates, you realise he isn't exactly old-school.
'Daddy' hundreds: Mohammad Huraira's calling card
Beyond the bare numbers, a highlight of Huraira’s hundreds is how big he’s gone after reaching triple figures. Six out of nine have been 150+ scores, which includes two double-tons and one triple century.
It was the triple ton that put him into national spotlight: aged just 19, he cracked 311 (off just 343 balls) in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for Northern, the second-youngest from Pakistan to make a triple ton after Javed Miandad. In the opposite team were Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq – the first is now Pakistan’s Test captain, and the second is whom Huraira pipped to get a call-up for the Bangladesh series.
Huraira’s success has stemmed from his consistency: in the 2021 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he averaged 58 from 18 innings. The number went up to 73.14 the following season. Both those times, he was the leading run-getter in the tournament over several established names.
The 2023/24 season did not quite translate into the same figures: no hundreds and an average of 33. But he struck form through the Pakistan One-Day Cup that followed, averaging 85.66 at a strike rate of 104.47, and carried that form with him for the ‘A’ tour.
This isn’t the first time Huraira has earned a Test call-up: in June last year, he was included for the Sri Lanka tour, but remained on the sidelines as Abdullah Shafique and Imam continued as the first-choice pairing. He was also part of the squad for the home Test series against Bangladesh, but Shafique and Saim Ayub opened there.
.@realhurraira scored an unbeaten 161 off 203 balls with the help of 18 fours and a six on the first day of the four-day game against Bangladesh A pic.twitter.com/EvdqVmGCiW
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) July 19, 2024
Will Pakistan's revolving-door open for Huraira?
In the last two years, Shafique has been the constant in a revolving-door opening role for Pakistan, pairing up with Saim Ayub, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan. Masood is now settled at No.3, Rizwan’s promotion was one-off, and Imam might have been edged away for the near future.
Saim was given the Bangladesh home series, as well as the first Test against England, to cement his spot. But following the Multan mauling, and his dismissal in the third innings, there is a real chance he loses his spot for the second match. His partnership with Shafique has just not worked either – their stands read a grisly 0, 0, 5, 3, 7, 0, 0 and 8, in order.
Huraira’s place in Pakistan's squad seems to be an indication to reward solid domestic performances. With the side possibly at its lowest point in years, and coming off a chastening, record-breaking defeat, things could hardly get worse.
In some twisted way, walking into a broken camp could serve as the perfect platform for Huraira to make a real impact as a potential shining light.
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