Wahab Riaz: “I don’t think we should create hype around him very quickly”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Wahab Riaz, the left-arm pace bowler, said it is important not to hype up rising star Saim Ayub as it will put a lot of pressure on him.
Ayub was one of the star performers in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he scored 341 runs in 12 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
His spectacular performance in PSL 8 captured the attention of the national selectors, who quickly catapulted him into the Pakistan team for the limited overs series against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
While the 21-year-old left-handed batsman from Karachi has enjoyed a rapid rise to the top, Wahab warned that people should not have unrealistic expectations of him.
“I don’t think we should create hype around him very quickly,” the 37-year-old was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in two Tests from July 16 to 28, but neither Wahab nor Ayub were selected for the series.
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