Babar Azam: “He is learning and dominating. Good luck to him for the future and I hope he can continue this”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam believes big-hitting opener Saim Ayub can be a useful asset for the national team as he has been “learning and dominating.”
Ayub stormed into the spotlight during the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where 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.
Azam captained the Zalmi in PSL 8 and got to witness the 21-year-old’s brutality with the bat night after night.
Following the PSL, Ayub was immediately added to the Pakistan team and has since featured in eight T20Is, in which he has made 123 runs at an average of 17.57 and a strike-rate of 123.
The Karachi native then played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 478 runs in 13 matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 43.45 and a strike-rate of 142.26.
He was then in action for Karachi Region Whites in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeA Trophy) and amassed 553 runs in four games, which included three centuries, at an average of 79.
Ayub was named Man of the Match in the QeA Trophy final against Faisalabad Region as he struck 203 in the first innings and followed it up with 109 in the second.
Most recently, he played in the Pakistan Cup and was the highest run-scorer with 397 runs in eight games, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 49.62.
“He is learning and dominating. Good luck to him for the future and I hope he can continue this,” Azam was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Azam’s last assignment before stepping down as Pakistan captain was the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he made 320 runs in nine matches, which included four half-centuries, at an average of 40.
The men in green started off with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing their next four games against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite fighting back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to make it to the semi-finals.
To add insult to injury, Pakistan lost their final group stage match against England by 93 runs.
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