Babar Azam: “Saim Ayub is a great prospect”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Babar Azam, the Pakistan cricket captain, admitted that he sees great promise in powerful top order batsman Saim Ayub.
Azam played alongside Ayub while captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The 21-year-old rising star showcased his power-hitting skills throughout PSL 8 and ended up scoring 341 runs in 12 matches, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
Given how well he played in the tournament and the fact that he went on to play in Pakistan’s limited overs series against Afghanistan and New Zealand, Azam reiterated that he sees something special in Ayub.
“Saim Ayub is a great prospect,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam will now lead Pakistan in their two-Test series against Sri Lanka in July, but Ayub was not included in the squad.
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