Abdullah Shafique: “Saim is an excellent player and a great asset for Pakistan. I wish him the best of luck”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Top order batsman Abdullah Shafique believes opener Saim Ayub is an “excellent player and a great asset for Pakistan”.
Ayub had been in red-hot form prior to suffering a fractured ankle towards the end of 2024 as he had scored 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.
The 23-year-old made his return in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he amassed 174 runs in 10 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 17.40 and a strike-rate of 125.17.
Despite a lacklustre performance in PSL 10, Shafique still thinks Ayub has a really bright future ahead of him.
“Saim is an excellent player and a great asset for Pakistan. I wish him the best of luck,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Ayub made his return to international cricket in Pakistan’s ongoing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, but was dismissed for a golden duck in the 1st T20I, which the men in green won by 37 runs.
Shafique was not selected for the series despite being the fourth-highest run-scorer in PSL 10 with 390 runs in 13 matches for the Lahore Qalandars, which included three fifties, at an average of 32.50 and a strike-rate of 148.28.
The 2nd T20I between Pakistan and Bangladesh will take place on May 30 in Lahore.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub