Nick Knight: “My best advice to him is watch that ball and let your instincts and flair take over”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former England batsman Nick Knight has advised Pakistan opener Saim Ayub to focus on watching the ball closely and allow his instincts and natural flair to take over.
Knight’s comments come as Ayub has not delivered the performances expected of him with the bat.
Although the 24-year-old has developed into a useful spin option, Knight said Ayub must clear his mind of distractions, as they can affect his decision making.
“My best advice to him is watch that ball and let your instincts and flair take over, and make sure you’re really watching that ball closely because when you’ve got his ability, your decision making becomes that much more simple. It’s when you’re slightly distracted by other stuff that’s going on, then that decision making can be affected,” he told PakPassion.
Ayub is currently representing Pakistan in their T20I series against Sri Lanka and has began with eight runs and one wicket in the first match in Rawalpindi, which the men in green won by four wickets.
The 2nd T20I will be held on October 11 in Rawalpindi.
After the T20I series, Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka and England in an ODI tri-series from October 18 to 31 in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Pakistan’s Squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufyan Moqim
Pakistan’s Squad for the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and England: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufyan Moqim