Wahab Riaz: “I had heard a lot about Saim Ayub but the way he played… he looked very compact and looks [like] a future [player] for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Wahab Riaz, the senior fast bowler, said top order batsman Saim Ayub looks like he has a bright future in the Pakistan team.
The 37-year-old said he had heard of Ayub but got the chance to actually see him in action during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Both cricketers played alongside each other for the Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 8.
Ayub, 21, had a brilliant campaign as he accumulated 341 runs in 12 matches, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
After the conclusion of PSL 8, the Karachi native was picked in Pakistan’s squad for the limited overs series against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
“I had heard a lot about Saim Ayub but the way he played… he looked very compact and looks [like] a future [player] for Pakistan,” Wahab was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Pakistan will now take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test series in July, but neither Wahab nor Ayub were included in the team that was announced.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood