[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Saim Ayub - the real deal or a flash in the pan?

[shamaan]

Good to see that he was patient and didnt loose his wicket and good that Rizwan and Management backed him

 

[Devadwal]

You saw Saim too and wrote him off. You will be forced to eat your words too on others. Likh le!

I'm not judge player's based on just one off the performance .

So after Asif ali the future Pakistan captain , Usman khan is best middle order batsman and Saim is one of the best opener.

 

[Rana]

I'm not judge player's based on just one off the performance .

So after Asif ali the future Pakistan captain , Usman khan is best middle order batsman and Saim is one of the best opener.

Why can I smell smoke from your backside? Jaalan ho rahi hai?

 

[Devadwal]

Why can I smell smoke from your backside? Jaalan ho rahi hai?

Why should I feel jealous. I just gave my own opinion and i feel saim is more like a heck who can Play one good innings out of ten . This is not how best opener play.

 

[Caved12]

I remember a discussion thread from years ago where people were sharing their first impressions of Saim Ayub. At the time, many dismissed him as not good enough, but I saw things differently. I argued that we needed to support him rather than write him off at such an early stage. It didn’t seem fair to judge him prematurely, and looking back, I’m glad to have stood by that stance.

When Saim returned after scoring heavily in domestic cricket, he had the support of almost all of us, who wanted to see him succeed. A player like him, capable of playing aggressively at a high strike rate, is rare in our domestic setup. Although he struggled as an opener in T20Is, some of us felt he simply needed more time to develop rather than risking losing such talent prematurely. Developing a player in cricket is challenging and demands a nuanced approach, especially for someone with Saim’s talent, who could easily see his struggles shift from technical to mental if not managed well.

Consider how India nurtured Rohit Sharma. Despite a rough start over his first 80 to 90 ODIs, they saw his potential, supported him, and allowed him time to grow within a strong batting lineup. With patience and vision, Rohit eventually blossomed into one of their greats. The BCCI’s long term thinking allowed them to be patient with him. Ideally, Pakistan could do the same with Saim, giving him an extended run across formats, letting him grow without overanalyzing every failure. But this is trickier in Pakistan’s system, where selectors and PCB leadership change frequently, sometimes every few months or yearly.

Another complication is that fans want fairness in selections, ensuring all domestic players get a fair chance before being dropped. Some fans wish for Saim’s success but also worry that his continuous selection might unfairly limit chances for other players. Others fear that if he goes through a prolonged slump, he might be dropped for an extended period, possibly 3 to 5 years, which can happen in Pakistan cricket. A further concern is that Saim might lose his drive to improve if he feels assured of his place despite failures.

In the end, most Pakistani fans agree that Saim has incredible potential. If he’s supported properly, he could become one of the best players in Pakistan across all formats. The key is to balance patience, consistent backing, and a structure that pushes him to keep improving. With the right plan, Saim could truly thrive and deliver on his promise.

 

[Aami]

But but but Sharjeel Khan is a talentless hack

He is a fat git...! he could have had a nice little a career if he'd cared more about his runs than prathas and paayay. Everytime he lasted more than a few balls, you could see he had something about him.

When someone says to you, lose weight, get fit and you're in, then why wouldn't you? ... It doesn't really matter if he could still play, despite his physique, but 'you gotta what you do' ... plenty from 240 million population are waiting for the same chance.

He wanted to play for Pak without the hard work, just like Azam Khan now?

I wish he had listened to the inner cricketer other than the inner Paetu Sultan.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Some of his legside shots reminded me of Sharjeel.

 

[TheSultan]

To be honest that question was absurd as well , He is an international cricketer and not some fan boy who got a chance to play some charity match facing Aus bowlers.

The problem is most Pakistani batsmen would go goo goo ga ga over the opposition like the losers they are. So this actually showed a good aspect of Saim.

 

[Bewal Express]

He has lots of talent but his brain and hunger are open to discussion. If the lad can get a hunger for runs and keep his thinking straight, I see a future captain. He should look at Saeed Anwer rather become another Imran Nazir

 

[Cricket Warrior]

He has lots of talent but his brain and hunger are open to discussion. If the lad can get a hunger for runs and keep his thinking straight, I see a future captain. He should look at Saeed Anwer rather become another Imran Nazir

He is not consistent at all... i really admire his inning which he played today but major concern for me is that how many he will further take to play such inning again.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Pakistan's former captain, Waqar Younis, while speaking on a local TV channel about Pakistan's ODI series victory over Australia on Australian soil:

"Saim Ayub, who faced a lot of criticism initially, deserves credit for sticking to his style and shots, despite the critiques."

"I hope this trend continues, both in T20 cricket and in the Champions Trophy."

 

[FearlessRoar]

Saim Ayub is all set to play the T10 format - he will represent Kandy Bolts in the Lanka T10 Super League 2024

 

[m.shah]

Saim Ayub is all set to play the T10 format - he will represent Kandy Bolts in the Lanka T10 Super League 2024

This is what is wrong with PCT players. He should have played First class instead

 

[Xoib]

How can he play when this Rando league clashes with our South Africa tour

 

[Cricket Warrior]

its really surprising that why Saim Ayub is not in the T2o squad? he is the one can play positive cricket in power play to give u early momentum.

 

[mominsaigol]

its really surprising that why Saim Ayub is not in the T2o squad? he is the one can play positive cricket in power play to give u early momentum.

Because rizzu and bobby must open lol

 

[Kianig89]

Some of the shots are outrageous unlike Pakistan batsmen those backfoot frontfoot sixes over deep square leg more like WI hitters.

He is not afraid of playing pace unlike many Pakistani openers of the past, Hafeez Taufeeq, Khalid latif, Khurram Manzoor etc etc

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Because rizzu and bobby must open lol

RIP to the T20I series

 

[Bewal Express]

We need Saim to succeed. He looks a player, we just need the statistics to improve

 

[Rana]

its really surprising that why Saim Ayub is not in the T2o squad? he is the one can play positive cricket in power play to give u early momentum.

Why are you surprised

Now Babar and Rizwan can make their love for opening in T20 cricket without any interference of homewrecker Saim

 

[Farabi]

Why are you surprised

Now Babar and Rizwan can make their love for opening in T20 cricket without any interference of homewrecker Saim

On the other threads you were praising Aqib Javed and his selection. Wasn’t the selection panel making the calls now? Who selected Babar and Rizwan? Who dropped Saim Ayub?
Common man! You’re losing support faster than Pakistani pacers lose their pace.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Why are you surprised

Now Babar and Rizwan can make their love for opening in T20 cricket without any interference of homewrecker Saim

yeah no surprise now why he is not in the squad

 

[ads101]

Think it’s the right decision not to have him in the t20 squad even if t20s is his best format in domestic. He was doing dreadful in t20s, and it must feel daunting when he goes in at the crease every t20 he plays. There’s too much pressure now in t20s. He would have to do ridiculously well to overturn that t20 record now with how many games he’s played.

He’s succeeded now in ODIs and I’d let him continue with that. Once he’s established himself in ODIs you can add him back in t20s with the confidence that he’s done well against international attacks, and that he won’t be dropped completely even if he fails in t20 again as he has ODIs to fall back on.

Usman deserves a run as opener in t20 too, so we have other options we can use instead of Saim.

 

[emranabbas]

Think it’s the right decision not to have him in the t20 squad even if t20s is his best format in domestic. He was doing dreadful in t20s, and it must feel daunting when he goes in at the crease every t20 he plays. There’s too much pressure now in t20s. He would have to do ridiculously well to overturn that t20 record now with how many games he’s played.

He’s succeeded now in ODIs and I’d let him continue with that. Once he’s established himself in ODIs you can add him back in t20s with the confidence that he’s done well against international attacks, and that he won’t be dropped completely even if he fails in t20 again as he has ODIs to fall back on.

Usman deserves a run as opener in t20 too, so we have other options we can use instead of Saim.

One thing I’ve observed with Saim is that he tends to take his time before finding his rhythm at the crease, which can be a disadvantage in the fast-paced nature of T20 internationals where quick scoring is crucial from the start.

His approach seems more suited to formats where he has the luxury of building his innings, like ODIs, where patience and stability are rewarded.

It’s a similar case with Babar Azam, who also takes time to settle in before accelerating. their playing style might be better aligned with the demands of ODI cricket, where they can capitalize on longer innings rather than the aggressive, high-tempo approach required in T20s.