Azhar Mahmood: “A special shoutout to young Saim Ayub on his brilliance on the field, composure under pressure, and ability to take on the opposition with such flair is a joy to watch”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood said opening batsman Saim Ayub is such a “joy to watch” as he takes on “the opposition with such flair”.
Ayub was arguably Pakistan’s best limited overs batsman prior to fracturing his ankle as he had scored three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out in T20Is – all of which came during the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
During his recovery, the 22-year-old missed Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies, the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the limited overs tour of New Zealand.
Mahmood acknowledged that the men in green missed Ayub during that period as he had the ability to shine under pressure.
“A special shoutout to young Saim Ayub on his brilliance on the field, composure under pressure, and ability to take on the opposition with such flair is a joy to watch,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ayub made his comeback in the ongoing 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he is playing for the Peshawar Zalmi.
In the Zalmi’s opening game against the Quetta Gladiators, he struck 50 runs off 38 balls, which included three boundaries and four sixes.
He followed that up with six runs against Islamabad United.
PSL 10 started on April 11 and will conclude on May 18.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Diamond: Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris
- Gold: Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Nahid Rana
- Silver: Arif Yaqoob, Najibullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem
- Emerging: Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat
- Supplementary: Ahmed Daniyal, Alzarri Joseph