Shan Masood: “Saim Ayub is an exciting prospect and he has been rewarded for his attacking approach in domestic cricket. He will get a chance if needed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood admitted that aggressive top order batsman Saim Ayub “is an exciting prospect”, but remains unsure if the 21-year-old will make his Test debut in the ongoing three-match Test series against Australia.
Ayub earned a call-up to the Test team after a dominant run of form in domestic cricket.
He scored 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.
Ayub was named Man of the Match in the QeA Trophy final against Faisalabad Region as he made 203 in the first innings and 109 in the second innings.
Most recently, he was involved 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.
The Karachi-born batsman wasn’t included in the playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth, which Pakistan lost by 360 runs.
However, with two more Tests to go, it remains to be seen if he will get the opportunity to make his debut.
“Saim Ayub is an exciting prospect and he has been rewarded for his attacking approach in domestic cricket. He will get a chance if needed,” Masood was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
The second Test between Pakistan and Australia will start on December 26 in Melbourne.
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