Alzarri Joseph: “I think he’s a fantastic talent”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has great admiration for Pakistan opening batsman Saim Ayub, saying he is “a fantastic talent”.
Ayub has shown glimpses of the damage he can inflict with the bat, especially towards the end of 2024, where he made three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out during Pakistan’s tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Lately, though, things haven’t gone according to plan for the 23-year-old as after recovering from a fractured ankle, he mustered 174 runs in 10 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) at an average of 17.40 and a strike-rate of 125.17.
Despite this, Joseph acknowledged Ayub’s run-scoring abilities and knows he can catch fire again at any time.
“I think he’s a fantastic talent,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following PSL 10, Ayub featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, but was kept quiet as he only made 49 runs at an average of 16.33 and a strike-rate of 144.11.
The Karachi native then took part in Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh and finished with 28 runs in three T20Is at an average of 9.33 and a strike-rate of 121.73.
The men in green lost the series 2-1.
Ayub is now touring the West Indies with the Pakistan team and kicked off his campaign in excellent fashion as he struck 57 runs off 38 balls, which included five boundaries and two sixes, in the 1st T20I, which the men in green won by 14 runs.
The 2nd T20I will be held on August 3 in Lauderhill.
Once the three-match T20I series concludes, Pakistan and the West Indies will play three ODIs.
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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