Moin Khan: “For this tour [to Australia], Saim deserves the call and he should go”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan believes big-hitting opening batsman Saim Ayub is ready to make his Test debut in the upcoming three-match series against Australia.
Ayub has been a dominant force in domestic cricket as of late as he 553 runs in four games for the Karachi Region Whites in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeA Trophy), which included three centuries, at an average of 79.
The 21-year-old was even named Man of the Match in the QeA Trophy final against Faisalabad Region as he smashed 203 in the first innings and followed it up with 109 in the second innings.
Most recently, he was in action in the Pakistan Cup and finished as the highest run-scorer with 397 runs in eight games, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 49.62.
Moin feels the Karachi native has more than proved himself and wants to see him in the playing XI for the Test series against Australia.
“For this tour [to Australia], Saim deserves the call and he should go,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Ayub was not picked for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four in a row to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they bounced back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign in dismal fashion as England thumped them by 93 runs.
Pakistan’s Test series against Australia will begin on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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