Jason Gillespie: “He rates his medium pace as well, he tells me. Multi-talented boy”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie has revealed that opening batsman Saim Ayub thinks his fast bowling is good.
While Ayub’s main role in the team is to score runs, he has been used as a part-time spinner on an increasingly frequent basis.
The 22-year-old has taken three wickets in six Tests at an average of 45 and three wickets in six ODIs at an average of 23.66.
While it remains to be seen if Ayub will unleash his medium pace in a match, Gillespie acknowledged that the Karachi native is a “multi-talented boy”.
“He rates his medium pace as well, he tells me. Multi-talented boy,” he was quoted as saying by Grassroots Cricket on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ayub’s form with the bat has been brilliant lately as he scored 125 runs in three ODIs against Australia, which included a top score of 82, at an average of 41.66.
Despite not playing in the T20I series that followed, he returned to action during Pakistan’s ODI series against Zimbabwe and accumulated 155 runs, which included a career-best 113 not out, at an average of 77.50.
This time, he did feature in the three-match T20I series and finished with 60 runs in two games at an average of 60.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of South Africa, where they will play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
The T20I series will get underway on December 10, while the ODI and Test series will begin on December 17 and December 26 respectively.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha