Yasir Hameed: “Wonder boy Saim Ayub”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Yasir Hameed has called big-hitting opener Saim Ayub the country’s “wonder boy”.
His praise for the 23-year-old comes after Ayub has displayed remarkable bursts of brilliance, scoring heavily during those times.
Ayub recently featured in the 2025 Asia Cup, but was not at his best as he was restricted to 37 runs in seven games at an average of 5.28 and a strike-rate of 97.36.
He subsequently missed Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
The Karachi native ended up returning for the three-match T20I series and looked much better as he finished with 108 runs, which included a top score of 71 not out, at an average of 54 and a strike-rate of 150.
“Wonder boy Saim Ayub,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Next up will be a three-match ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa, which will take place from November 4 to 8.
Following that, Pakistan will meet Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series from November 11 to 15, before taking part in a T20I tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to 29.
Pakistan squad for South Africa ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem