Salman Butt: “Saim Ayub is the lucky one because in 20 innings, he couldn’t perform as per the expectations yet the management has shown faith in him which is a big thing. I don’t think you’ll ever see a player who was given as many chances in Pakistan’s history”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes opening batsman Saim Ayub should consider himself very lucky as he is still being given chances to prove himself after failing to make any noteworthy contributions in over 20 T20Is.
Ayub has represented the men in green in 21 T20Is and amassed 286 runs at an average of 15.05 and a strike-rate of 127.67.
In Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the 22-year-old mustered 57 runs in five games at an average of 14.25 and a strike-rate of 129.54.
He followed that up with 65 runs at an average of 21.66 and a strike-rate of 151.16 in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Ireland.
As for the four-match T20I series against England, the Karachi native only made two runs in the one match he played.
Considering Ayub has yet to make a fifty at the international level, Salman acknowledged that the youngster is fortunate to still be in the team.
He added that he doesn’t recall seeing any player being given as many opportunities as Ayub, which shows how much faith the team management has in him.
“Saim Ayub is the lucky one because in 20 innings, he couldn’t perform as per the expectations yet the management has shown faith in him which is a big thing. I don’t think you’ll ever see a player who was given as many chances in Pakistan’s history,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Geo Super.
“I think his luck and credit to the management who has shown this much trust in him. Now it’s his job to deliver.”
Pakistan will now be involved in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which is taking place in the West Indies and United States of America.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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