Babar Azam: “I saw Saim Ayub bowling in the nets and he impressed me. He is a different bowler, he gives us the edge because batters have not faced him and we can always utilise him with the ball in the powerplay”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Babar Azam was highly impressed with opener Saim Ayub’s spin bowling during the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying it gave the Peshawar Zalmi an edge over other teams.
Azam, who captained the Zalmi, recalled watching Ayub bowl in the nets and immediately thought that he was a “different bowler” compared to the others he had seen.
On top of that, the 29-year-old knew he could unleash Ayub in the powerplay to wreak havoc by taking wickets or stemming the flow of runs.
The 21-year-old opening batsman had a massive impact with the ball in PSL 9 as he took eight wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.37 and an economy rate of 7.45.
He also scored 345 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 31.36 and a strike-rate of 157.53.
“I saw Saim Ayub bowling in the nets and he impressed me. He is a different bowler, he gives us the edge because batters have not faced him and we can always utilise him with the ball in the powerplay,” Azam was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Like Ayub, Azam also had a brilliant showing in PSL 9 as he was the highest run-scorer with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
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