Ahmed Shehzad: “When will you perform? The hype around you will fade soon”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad has warned opener Saim Ayub the hype around him will “fade soon” if he doesn’t start performing on a consistent basis.
Ayub has endured a turbulent start to his international career as he has not produced the amount of runs expected of him.
That said, the 23-year-old did have a red-hot period towards the end of 2024 where he notched up 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.
During that South Africa tour, Ayub ended up fracturing his ankle and was sidelined for a long time before ultimately making his return at the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to pick up where he left off as his PSL 10 campaign ended in disappointment since he was restricted to 174 runs in 10 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi at an average of 17.40 and a strike-rate of 125.17.
He then featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and mustered 49 runs at an average of 16.33 and a strike-rate of 144.11.
Following this, he toured Bangladesh with the Pakistan team and endured a torrid time as he made 28 runs in three T20Is at an average of 9.33 and a strike-rate of 121.73.
“Saim Ayub once again played an ordinary shot and got out. When will you perform? The hype around you will fade soon. Your hype exists because there is a need for youngsters, and you showed potential. After 25 failures, you’ve played just 2-3 good innings. The way you’re playing your shots is very casual. This hype you have, it only takes two minutes to come crashing down,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of the West Indies, where they will play 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
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