[VIDEOS] Saim Ayub - Young Pakistani batting prospect

Great innings yesterday. If handled well, he has the potential to be a generational talent and something the Pakistan team has been in need of for almost 2 decades: a proper stroke playing opener. Already seems to have most essential ingredients: Solid technique and timing, excellent balance and stability when playing strokes through both sides and lots of time. Really hope no one tinkers with his natural game as all he needs is experience.
 
He seems like an extraordinary talent who bats with a lot of positive intent. Strike rate of 75 this QEA, List A strike rate of 115 and T20 strike rate of 140+. Selfless young batter.
 
He seems like an extraordinary talent who bats with a lot of positive intent. Strike rate of 75 this QEA, List A strike rate of 115 and T20 strike rate of 140+. Selfless young batter.

Very un Pakistani which has made him a fan favourite 😍 they're will be alot of pressure on selectors to select him if he has a good PSL
 
A bit unlucky to have played on

P2AuGIz.png
 
should be looked at in short formats, an average of 34 with no hundreds on these pitches, against some of these domestic attacks shows a lack of long-form temperament at the moment.
 
should be looked at in short formats, an average of 34 with no hundreds on these pitches, against some of these domestic attacks shows a lack of long-form temperament at the moment.

There seems to be a technical issue as well. That backfoot doesn't move at all to cover the line of the ball or to get on top of short pitched balls
 
Made lots of starts but hasn't converted them this season.
 
got rocked by a short ball that kept low and seemed to lose his composure, the fact that it was musa bowling is even more worrying.
 
Very un Pakistani which has made him a fan favourite �� they're will be alot of pressure on selectors to select him if he has a good PSL

I think they should include him the ODI squad and give him a run. PSL should only be used to select T20 squad. If he has a good Pakistan Cup, I think he should play the very next ODI series .
 
100 today in the Pakistan Cup for Sindh against Southern Punjab.
 
100 today in the Pakistan Cup for Sindh against Southern Punjab.

At good rate too, from 81 balls, 11 boundaries and 4 sixes.

His partner Sharjeel made 32 from 36 balls.

Saim should be selected for ODIs against Kiwis.
 
100 today in the Pakistan Cup for Sindh against Southern Punjab.

Saim Ayub scored 100 off 81 deliveries, with 11 fours and 4 sixes at UBL Sports complex in Karachi
 
Last edited:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are happy to announce that young Pakistani sensation Saim Ayub is a Rider!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Joyerlorai?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Joyerlorai</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RangpurRiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RangpurRiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BPL2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BPL2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/MYwHthi5xS">pic.twitter.com/MYwHthi5xS</a></p>— Rangpur Riders (@RangpurRider) <a href="https://twitter.com/RangpurRider/status/1602749635831156736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
if he can work on his game against short pitch bowling, he will be a TOP cricketer
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Peshawar Zalmi uses its Wild Card to pick talented youngster Saim Ayub in Silver Category at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HBLPSLDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HBLPSLDraft</a> 💛⚡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HBLPSL8?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HBLPSL8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZalmiPicks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZalmiPicks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZKingdom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZKingdom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Zalmi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Zalmi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowStorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowStorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/3kAJVaxkZ6">pic.twitter.com/3kAJVaxkZ6</a></p>— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeshawarZalmi/status/1603405005502836736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
It will be tough for him to get into this Peshawar xi when they already have Haris and Babar also Raja.
 
Babar as a batsman has been a good influence on Abdullah Shafiq. He can be a good influence on Saim Ayub as well.

I don’t think we need Abdullah Shafiques anymore

I don’t think we need anymore Babar, Rizwan’s and anyone of that mould anymore

We don’t need naturally talented, aggressive and flamboyant players like Saim going down that path.
 
Saim speaking about the time he spent with the Pakistan squad

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/oxausg" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
A run ball 18 for Saim Ayub at the BPL for Rangpur Riders vs Barshal
 
He's very talented and has potential to go far. But something within him tells me that he'll always be prone to attitude issues. Hopefully he avoids them and keeps his head down and works hard.
 
Fifty for Ayub - Still going - holds the key now - Can he do it?

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 100.000%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/49jfgx" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Last edited:
Fifty for Ayub - Still going - holds the key now - Can he do it?

It is a very difficult task from here on as the rrr is 13 now, but totally rooting for him and his team. It was hard to see Haris get run out at a time when these two were simply on fire. Rajapaksa gone as I am typing this
 
It is a very difficult task from here on as the rrr is 13 now, but totally rooting for him and his team. It was hard to see Haris get run out at a time when these two were simply on fire. Rajapaksa gone as I am typing this


Well played to him - 53(37)
 
His Strike Rate suffered when the fielding restrictions were over. A big problem with most of our players.
 
Was superb in the powerplay but slowed down afterwards, could've been due to the fact that he wasn't able to get much of the strike later in his innings.
 
This young man is pure class. Unlike many other youngsters , he is mature beyond his age and uses his brain also. Knows how to build an inning , even in T20 cricket. He is better than what I expected him to be .
 
Looks like he's improved his game and worked on a few things.

Could be a big tournament for him PSL8.
 
Just need an extra gear in his game. You can’t just rely on pacers to give you the power in your shots. Something to work on but still a good performance. A lot of work needs to be done on him but he is a good prospect. Not at the PCT level yet tbh.
 
I remember when I first saw him in PSL 7 he looked like a deer in headlights, so it's amazing to see how much he has improved in just one year.
 
He looks like he has grown in confidence and physicality since I saw him in PSL a couple of years ago with QG.

He is definitely on the right track with his batting approach and intent. At first I thought Chris Gayle was just praising him for the sake of it, because he is young, left handed and in Pakistan to earn money. But now I feel Gayle saw something special in him. The boy looks like an Indian IPL opener more than a Pakistani domestic opener

Oh it’s true

It’s damn true
 
Just need an extra gear in his game. You can’t just rely on pacers to give you the power in your shots. Something to work on but still a good performance. A lot of work needs to be done on him but he is a good prospect. Not at the PCT level yet tbh.

Agree with this. A few similarities to Saud Shakeel at this stage of his career. I don't think Saud has some of those scoops in his locker though.

We've also got to consider how lost he looked in PSL 7 and where he is just one season later. If Saim keeps improving at this rate we'll have a serious batsman on our hands.
 
Every body is excited with Ihsanullah and why not but after seeing him batting today, for me he is an equally excitable talent .
 
His stance looks a bit similar to Ganguly, seems like a really good player who can replace Babar in T20i's who at this point is a massive liability in any T20 team.
 
His stance looks a bit similar to Ganguly, seems like a really good player who can replace Babar in T20i's who at this point is a massive liability in any T20 team.

Yup lol there’s something Gangully-ish about his stance. I saw it too
 
Best batting talent to come after Babar. He should be opening as simply as that.
 
Every body is excited with Ihsanullah and why not but after seeing him batting today, for me he is an equally excitable talent .

Saim is more exciting not because he is a batter but due to the shots he played.
 
He should open he can play calculated risks and play both sides of the wickets.Needs to work on how to play spin.
 
Agree with this. A few similarities to Saud Shakeel at this stage of his career. I don't think Saud has some of those scoops in his locker though.

We've also got to consider how lost he looked in PSL 7 and where he is just one season later. If Saim keeps improving at this rate we'll have a serious batsman on our hands.

He's twice the player Shakeel is in t20s.
 
Exactly Saim Ayub has more shots and alot more power only similarities is that both are left handers lol.

Biggest joke in history:

“Saim reminds me of Saud Shaqeel”

It’s like saying 2004 Rooney reminds me of Darren Bent :))
 
This kid is talented. If you wanna back two youngsters in limited-overs, you should be backing him and Haris.
 
It is rare to see a Pakistani batsman with proper talent, someone who wouldn’t look out of place playing for India.

He could be Pakistan’s Ishan Kishan. He should replace Shan Masood in the LOI squads immediately.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You are not. Would it be heresy to suggest Saim might be more gifted than even Saeed Anwar?

Too early to say. But I gotta say, its refreshing to see a young Pakistani batter with this kind of confidence. Far too often we see highly-rated young Pakistani batters come in and very quickly it becomes evident that they are either incapable of handling pressure or incapable of playing according to the modern standards of the game.

Which is why both he and Mohammad Haris excite me so much as future batting prospects.
 
Too early to say. But I gotta say, its refreshing to see a young Pakistani batter with this kind of confidence. Far too often we see highly-rated young Pakistani batters come in and very quickly it becomes evident that they are either incapable of handling pressure or incapable of playing according to the modern standards of the game.

Which is why both he and Mohammad Haris excite me so much as future batting prospects.

I think it’s essential that they get the right coaching. Haider showed similar promise, but then had the worst/mixed messages coaching ever. The result in front of us is a player with all the shots, but none of the mental structure to adequately build an innings.

This is why, I’m hopeful inshAllah, that Mickey and whoever the new batting coach is(I’m praying it’s Hashim Amla or Inzi), will fine tune Saim’s approach. He still can go the Duckett way (sweeps galore) to improve his game against spin. He also needs to add a bit more muscle, to bring that extra oomph in his shots.

But, the basics are there Alhamdullillah. Hope he surpasses all our expectations inshAllah.
 
I think it’s essential that they get the right coaching. Haider showed similar promise, but then had the worst/mixed messages coaching ever. The result in front of us is a player with all the shots, but none of the mental structure to adequately build an innings.

This is why, I’m hopeful inshAllah, that Mickey and whoever the new batting coach is(I’m praying it’s Hashim Amla or Inzi), will fine tune Saim’s approach. He still can go the Duckett way (sweeps galore) to improve his game against spin. He also needs to add a bit more muscle, to bring that extra oomph in his shots.

But, the basics are there Alhamdullillah. Hope he surpasses all our expectations inshAllah.

There is probably some truth to what you say about Haider Ali. But I think the bulk of the responsibility for Haider Ali's failures lies on Haider Ali. You can't play brainless shots and not rotate the strike and then blame the coaching. Far too often I have seen him throw his wicket away and crack under the pressure.

I also feel that mental strength has to come from within. Its not something others can just teach you.

Hopefully Saim can deliver where Haider Ali has so far failed.
 
There is probably some truth to what you say about Haider Ali. But I think the bulk of the responsibility for Haider Ali's failures lies on Haider Ali. You can't play brainless shots and not rotate the strike and then blame the coaching. Far too often I have seen him throw his wicket away and crack under the pressure.

I also feel that mental strength has to come from within. Its not something others can just teach you.

Hopefully Saim can deliver where Haider Ali has so far failed.
I agree with you on most of the above. Haider does need to take ownership. However, regarding mental strength, it can come from different places.

Some people are mentally strong. Younis Khan is a shining example of this. Haider isn’t. Saim seems to be ( we need a wider sample size to definitively establish this)

Others, through their experiences, become mentally strong. This is why, this Derbyshire season will either make or break Haider. Yes, it’s County Division 2, but Mickey’s not going to molly coddle him.

I would similarly like to see Saim win a county contract, albeit I know it’s impossible. This would put him in a new environment where he’ll learn a new type of resilience.
 
He looks like a combo of Saeed Anwar and Amir Sohail. Need to get him in white ball asap.

I would be gutted if he doesnt find a spot in the Pakistan team this year.
 
It’s a shame that we have hopeless parchies like Shan Masood in the team instead of a youngerster like Saim Ayub.
 
He looks like a combo of Saeed Anwar and Amir Sohail. Need to get him in white ball asap.

I would be gutted if he doesnt find a spot in the Pakistan team this year.

“Giving favors to our friends is part of our culture” Najam Sethi.

There is no concept of merit based progression.

No wonder Shan Masood is miserable in performances but promoted to VC while Wahab Riaz, out of nowhere becomes a sports minister.

Saim has to have some big sifarish to move up the ranks under this administration.
 
Too early to say. But I gotta say, its refreshing to see a young Pakistani batter with this kind of confidence. Far too often we see highly-rated young Pakistani batters come in and very quickly it becomes evident that they are either incapable of handling pressure or incapable of playing according to the modern standards of the game.

Which is why both he and Mohammad Haris excite me so much as future batting prospects.

Totally agree. The best aspect of psl is watching Saim and Haris bat. Even better if it’s against Ihsanullah or Usama.

I rate Huraira very highly as well. Hope he gets drafted into the longer format very soon. Ultimately Huraira should also play all formats.
 
Need to be careful and not hype him up too much.

At PSL 8 so far he has 109 runs in 6 innings at an average of 18.
 
please stop comparing him to saeed anwar, honestly, how can someone with no fc centuries be compared to someone who was arguably the best test opener of his generation?

he has a few good flashy strokes but he is nowhere as aesthetically pleasing as anwar, and in talent terms 21yo saim is miles off of 21 yo saeed.
 
Need to score that one big meaningful knock for his side.
 
I never liked such players who having a habit of getting out from no where. We had countless of those in the past and we got excited that they will improve and will become beast but sadly not a single player had improved in the past, be it Farhat , Nazir , Umar , Maqsood , Kamran , Shehzad and now recently Haider , Haris and Saim , they all belong in the same category or possibly even worse.
 
I think Azam Khan is the only current new player who has some brains to actually become some what inferior version of Sehwag but again his reflexes and fitness needs a lot of improvements.
 
Back
Top