Mickey Arthur: “He can be that player for us that can dominate overs 10-40 at times”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, said he can see top order batsman Saim Ayub dominating from “overs 10-40 at times” for the national team.
Arthur’s comments suggest that there are plans to incorporate Ayub in the ODI team, which is a format where he has yet to make his debut.
So far, the 21-year-old from Karachi has only featured in eight T20Is, where he has accumulated 123 runs at an average of 17.57 and a strike-rate of 123.
His international debut came after his outstanding performance in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 341 runs in 12 games for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included five fifties, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
Knowing just how destructive Ayub can be, Arthur is keen to give him a key role to fill in ODIs.
“He can be that player for us that can dominate overs 10-40 at times,” Arthur was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are currently in the midst of their two-Test series against Sri Lanka and hold a 1-0 lead after securing a four-wicket win in the first Test in Galle.
The second Test will get underway on July 24 in Colombo.
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