Mohammad Rizwan: “Not having Saim Ayub is a big loss for us. His absence has made a difference”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan has admitted that opening batsman Saim Ayub’s “absence has made a difference”.
Ayub is currently sidelined with a fractured ankle, which he sustained during Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa.
The 22-year-old’s injury was a major setback as he had been in phenomenal form lately, racking up three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out in T20Is – all of which came during the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
With the Karachi native out of action, he missed the two-Test series against the West Indies, the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy.
“Not having Saim Ayub is a big loss for us. His absence has made a difference,” Rizwan was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan kicked off their Champions Trophy campaign in disappointing fashion as they lost to New Zealand by 60 runs and India by six wickets.
The men in green are now teetering on the brink of elimination heading into their next group stage match against Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
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