Imran Nazir: “Talking about Saim Ayub, he’s a new player and expecting 40 or 50 runs would not be fair to him, especially in a World Cup which itself is so stressful and when the team is performing so poorly”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan power-hitter Imran Nazir said it is unfair to expect opening batsman Saim Ayub to score 40 or 50 runs as he is a “new player”.
Ayub’s spot in the side has become a subject of heated debate, with some wanting him to be given more time while others want him to be dropped after a string of poor performances.
To date, the 22-year-old has scored 309 runs in 23 T20Is at an average of 14.71 and a strike-rate of 122.13.
Most recently, the Karachi native was in action in the 2024 T20 World Cup and only managed to make 23 runs in two games at an average of 11.50 and a strike-rate of 79.31.
“Talking about Saim Ayub, he’s a new player and expecting 40 or 50 runs would not be fair to him, especially in a World Cup which itself is so stressful and when the team is performing so poorly,” Nazir was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan lost to the United States of America and India in the T20 World Cup before bouncing back to defeat Canada and Ireland.
Even though they ended the group stage on a high, they failed to book their spot in the Super Eights.
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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