Junaid Khan: “It’s good to see left-handed and right-handed combination as an opening pair. Good opportunity for Saim Ayub to prove himself as an opener”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm pace bowler Junaid Khan believes Saim Ayub has a “good opportunity” to “prove himself as an opener” and urged him not to waste it.
Ayub didn’t have the best of starts when he made the jump from domestic cricket to international cricket, but the 22-year-old has begun to turn his fortunes around over the past couple of months.
During Pakistan’s white-ball tour of Australia, he amassed 125 runs, which included a top score of 82, at an average of 41.66.
Afterwards, he went to Zimbabwe with the men in green and carried on impressing, accumulating 155 runs in three ODIs, which included a career-best 113 not out, at an average of 77.50.
He then featured in the three-match T20I series and finished with 60 runs in two games at an average of 60.
In the ongoing tour of South Africa, Ayub kicked things off with 129 runs in two T20Is, which included a career-best knock of 98 not out, at an average of 129.
The Karachi native maintained his momentum in the ODIs, scoring 235 runs in three matches, which included two centuries, at an average of 78.33.
“It’s good to see left-handed and right-handed combination as an opening pair. Good opportunity for Saim Ayub to prove himself as an opener,” Junaid said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan and South Africa are now playing a two-Test series, which the Proteas lead 1-0 after winning the 1st Test in Centurion by two wickets.
Ayub made scores of 14 and 27 in the 1st Test.
The 2nd Test got underway on January 3 in Cape Town, but Ayub suffered a fractured ankle on the opening day and will now be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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