Azhar Khan: “Saim Ayub is an ideal player for Pakistan to open in T20 cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan chief selector Azhar Khan believes Saim Ayub is the “ideal” T20I opener for the men in green.
Ayub endured a rough start to his T20I career, but has really started to pick up the pace over the last few months.
The 22-year-old, who possesses a wide array of big shots in his arsenal, started catching fire during Pakistan’s tour of Australia, where he scored 125 runs in three ODIs, which included a top score of 82, at an average of 41.66.
He then proceeded to make 155 runs in three ODIs against Zimbabwe, which included a career-best 113 not out, at an average of 77.50.
In the three-match T20I series that followed, he ended up with 60 runs in two games at an average of 60.
Ayub was then involved in Pakistan’s series against South Africa and began by amassing 129 runs in two T20Is, which included a career-best knock of 98 not out, at an average of 129.
The Karachi native remained red-hot in the ODI series, accumulating 235 runs, which included two hundreds, at an average of 78.33.
As for the two-Test series, Ayub only managed to make 41 runs at an average of 20.50. However, it should be noted that he didn’t bat in the 2nd Test in Cape Town as he fractured his ankle on the opening day.
Given the way he has batted in T20I cricket in Pakistan’s last couple of series, Azhar feels Ayub is the right man to be opening the batting.
“Saim Ayub is an ideal player for Pakistan to open in T20 cricket,” he was quoted as saying on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As a result of his ankle injury, Ayub missed Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies, the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
He also wasn’t selected for the ongoing white-ball tour of New Zealand, where the men in green find themselves 3-1 down in the T20I series heading into the 5th T20I on March 26 in Wellington.
Once the T20Is are done, the ODI series will begin on March 29 in Napier.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir