Pakistan opening batsman Saim Ayub: “How can you say I’ve lost my intent? That’s not true”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan opening batsman Saim Ayub proclaimed that he has not lost his intent when batting.
Ayub’s form has been a major talking point throughout his career as he has struggled to score runs consistently despite having short bursts of sublime form.
The 23-year-old maintains that he always does his best for the men in green and hasn’t lost his hunger to score big runs.
“How can you say I’ve lost my intent? That’s not true,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
During Pakistan’s home series against South Africa, Ayub made 108 runs in three T20Is, which included an unbeaten 71, at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 150.
He continued to impress in the ODI series, racking up 169 runs in three matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 56.33.
Next came three ODIs against Sri Lanka, but Ayub could not maintain his momentum as he was restricted to 39 runs in two games at an average of 19.50.
He also wasn’t at his best in the T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe as he mustered 118 runs in five games at an average of 23.60 and a strike-rate of 114.56
Ayub is now in action in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he has made scores of 28 and 0 in his first two games for Sylhet Titans.
His next assignment will be Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, which will consist of three T20Is that will be played in Dambulla from January 7 to 11.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq