Jason Gillespie: “I think he’s one of the most talented cricketers on the planet. I love watching him go about his work”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie has branded opening batsman Saim Ayub as “one of the most talented cricketers on the planet”.
Ayub has shown great potential so far, especially towards the end of 2024 when he scored three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out in T20Is during Pakistan’s tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
More recently, his form has been quite turbulent as during the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), he made 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.
He followed that up with 49 runs in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh at an average of 16.33 and a strike-rate of 144.11.
The men in green then toured Bangladesh for another three-match T20I series and the 23-year-old finished with 28 runs at an average of 9.33 and a strike-rate of 121.73.
Even though questions have been raised about Ayub’s consistency, Gillespie thinks the Karachi-born batsman is a special talent.
“I think he’s one of the most talented cricketers on the planet. I love watching him go about his work,” he told PakPassion.
Most recently, Ayub featured in Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies and began by scoring 130 runs in the three-match T20I series, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.33 and a strike-rate of 135.41.
After that, he amassed 28 runs in three ODIs at an average of 9.33.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which will be played from August 29 to September 7.
Following that, the men in green will be involved in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: 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, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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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