Dasun Shanaka: “Saim Ayub, we played [in the] PSL together. He’s very impressive. For me, he’s a bright prospect for the future”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Sri Lanka T20I captain Dasun Shanaka thinks Pakistan opening batsman Saim Ayub has been “very impressive” and is a “bright prospect for the future”.
Ayub burst onto the scene as an aggressive top order batter but has evolved into a genuine all-rounder, regularly picking up wickets with his spin bowling.
With his ability to contribute significantly with both bat and ball, Shanaka believes the 23-year-old from Karachi has unlimited potential.
“Saim Ayub, we played [in the] PSL together. He’s very impressive. For me, he’s a bright prospect for the future,” he was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ayub is currently in action in the 2026 T20 World Cup and has scored 70 runs in six matches at an average of 14 and a strike-rate of 137.25.
He has also taken five wickets at an average of 14.80 and an economy rate of 7.40.
Pakistan progressed to the Super Eights after winning their group stage games against the Netherlands, United States of America and Namibia. Their only loss came against India.
However, things haven’t gone to plan for the men in green in the Super Eights as their match against New Zealand was abandoned due to rain. They then lost to England, which has left them on the verge of elimination.
Pakistan must now defeat Sri Lanka when the two sides go head to head on February 28 in Pallekele.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq