Mushtaq Ahmed: “When a player returns from injury, net sessions alone aren’t enough. To regain form and rhythm, match practice is essential. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has hinted that opening batsman Saim Ayub was rushed back from his injury.
Ayub fractured his ankle at the beginning of 2025 and spent months on the sidelines before making his long-awaited comeback at the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
However, the 23-year-old couldn’t light up PSL 10 as he was limited to 174 runs in 10 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi at an average of 17.40 and a strike-rate of 125.17.
Mushtaq, who served as the Zalmi’s spin bowling coach, feels that Ayub should have played a few club matches or practice games before featuring in the PSL as it would have allowed him to get back into the groove of things after being out of action for such a long period of time.
“When a player returns from injury, net sessions alone aren’t enough. To regain form and rhythm, match practice is essential. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” he was quoted as saying by ARY News.
After PSL 10, Ayub featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and made 49 runs at an average of 16.33 and a strike-rate of 144.11.
He fared even worse during Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh as he only managed to score 28 runs in three T20Is at an average of 9.33 and a strike-rate of 121.73.
Ayub will return to action when Pakistan tour the West Indies for three T20Is and three ODIs from August 1 to 12.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem