Kamran Akmal: “He came into form very late, but he won the hearts of the people”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal said opener Saim Ayub “came into form very late”, but still managed to win the hearts of the people with his grit and determination.
Ayub endured a disappointing start to his international career, which led to ex-cricketers and fans questioning whether he deserved to be in the national team and if he was ready to play international cricket.
However, the 22-year-old has massively turned his fortunes around with three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out in T20Is – all of which came during Pakistan’s tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa – to quickly establish himself as a fan favourite with his attacking style of play.
“He came into form very late, but he won the hearts of the people,” Akmal was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ayub suffered a major setback during the tour of South Africa as he fractured his ankle during the Test series, which resulted in him missing the 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.
After being out of action for a long time, Ayub made his comeback in the ongoing 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has scored 58 runs in three matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which includes a top score of 50, at an average of 19.33 and a strike-rate of 116.
PSL 10 got underway 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