Babar Azam: “The best part is that he is improving day by day”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Babar Azam, the Pakistan cricket captain, said the best part about up-and-coming batsman Saim Ayub is the fact that he is getting better “day by day”.
Azam got the opportunity to see the talented youngster in action when he was captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Ayub, 21, was one of the standout performers in PSL 8 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.
“The best part is that he is improving day by day,” Azam was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “The way he is learning new things day by day and improving continuously is commendable.”
The 28-year-old will now captain Pakistan in their two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which will be held in Galle and Colombo from July 16 to 28, while Ayub was not selected.
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