Shadab Khan: “Saim is class. Future superstar”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shadab Khan, the Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder, said hard-hitting top order batsman Saim Ayub is a “future superstar”.
Shadab got the chance to see Ayub in action during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he captained Islamabad United. Ayub, meanwhile, played for the Peshawar Zalmi, who were led by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.
In the 12 matches he played for the Zalmi, the 21-year-old scored 341 runs, which included five half-centuries, at an average of 28.41 and a strike-rate of 165.53.
Following PSL 8, Ayub was called up to the Pakistan team for their limited overs series against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
Most recently, he played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 478 runs in 13 matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 43.45 and a strike-rate of 142.26.
Shadab admitted that the Karachi-born batsman is a “class” player and sees big things in store for him.
“Saim is class. Future superstar,” he said on Twitter.
The Pakistan team recently beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series and Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series before playing in the Asia Cup, where they fell short of making it to the final.
Currently, they are in action in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and won their opening two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will be chasing their third successive win when they face off against India on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali
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