Will Saim Ayub suffer a Gilchrist 1999 or Inzamam 2003-like slump in Asia Cup 2025?

[tiger_khan]

To call Saim Ayub’s Asia Cup campaign a struggle would actually be putting it mildly.

His situation almost mirrors Adam Gilchrist’s in the 1999 World Cup — a tournament where Gilchrist was off-colour throughout, only to explode in the final and demolish Pakistan when it mattered most. On the flip side, there’s also the example of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the 2003 World Cup, where his form never returned. He played every game, averaged under five, and left the tournament as one of Pakistan’s biggest disappointments.

For Saim, the challenge is clear: trust his natural game. There’s no need to overthink or play within a shell. If he gets out, so be it — cricket doesn’t end there. Pakistan are already in the final, and this team has proved plenty of experts wrong by showing they are Asia’s second-best side.

Saim just needs to avoid imitating anyone else and back his fearless style. Go out, go hard, and go blazing.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Speechless lol Seen several random anaologies from pak fans recently. This one is the winner

 

[Inswing]

Speechless lol Seen several random anaologies from pak fans recently. This one is the winner

I just saw one of Kohli's 2024 T20 WC campaign, he was struggling big time and smashed 75 in the finals. I mean Saim may do that, but all this is unnecessary for now.

 

[PakPremi]

For a start Saim has to "look" at where he is hitting the ball.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

We are hoping the same from sky

 

[Red-Indian]

Speechless lol Seen several random anaologies from pak fans recently. This one is the winner

Yeah I mean he's an okay cricketer but both Inzamam and Gilchrist are way beyond his level.

Why set up such expectations for the poor guy?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Yeah I mean he's an okay cricketer but both Inzamam and Gilchrist are way beyond his level.

Why set up such expectations for the poor guy?

I see pak fans keep saying "Hope he clicks". I am yet to see anyone analyzing "Why he is not able to click". No analysis on his meeting points, feet movement, head position all those things. They just already decided he is a generational talent who has nothing to improve. Only thing that is ailing him is "luck" "form". Nothing else. Hope Pakistan think tank doesn't do the same. They analyze a lot about how to bowl to ABhishek . But they should do the same analysis on how to bowl to Saim. They will understand what he lacks

 

[tiger_khan]

Yeah I mean he's an okay cricketer but both Inzamam and Gilchrist are way beyond his level.

Why set up such expectations for the poor guy?

In 1999 WC Gilchrist was not an established undroppable Australian player.

Saim is the future of Pak cricket. He is only 23 years old. He has already singlehandedly, made Pakistan win an ODI series in Australia, which is something the past baiters of Pakistan have not achieved.

He is exceptional on fast pitches. What future holds for him will depend on his appetite.

All I know is that if he wanted, he cloud have batted selfishly with a very slow SR. He is gong for the team in conditions which are not best suited for his batting.

Right after helping Pakistan win the 1992 WC, Inzimam accompanied the team to English tour. I think he got the chance in 15 international innings in that tour against England. He failed and had only one 50 in the entire tour.

One tournament or series doesn't define a player. This Asia Cup won't define Saim just like it won't define Abhishek's entire career.

PS: when Saim gets to play a scoring innings, he usually takes it very close to the end and doesn't only rely on the power play overs. Doesn't get out as soon more fielders are allowed out of the circle. So BCCI better not ask the curator to make a flat pitch for the final.

 

[mominsaigol]

But in 1999 gilly wasnt even that bad?

He was out of form for his standards. He wasnt avg 3 throughout the cup lol.

 

[sweep_shot]

Saim is not at the level of Gilchrist and Inzi yet.

Saim is still relatively new to the scene.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He has played 47 matches. That is fairly substantial number of matches. His average stay at the crease per match is 13 balls. If we go for Median calculation. 10 balls. Basically more than half the time he doesn't stay more than 10 balls. That is tailendersque for a guy who mostly opened. I still try to fathom how this kind of performance is equivalent to Gilly's performance at any stage of his career. Gilly has told a few times that he considered his runs as bonus to his team. He doesn't even treat himself as a specialist batsman. Yet won world cups finals, Test matches. He is the oldest century maker in IPL history till date.

Gilchrist scored 102 in tests at a strike rate of 172.88

Ayub's best score 98 in T20 came at strike rateof 171

 

[tiger_khan]

But in 1999 gilly wasnt even that bad?

He was out of form for his standards. He wasnt avg 3 throughout the cup lol.

He was pretty bad. He wasn't as bad as Saim because he had 50 overs available to him unlike Saim who has to go from the word go because he is playing a T20 tournament

 

[chinaman00]

To even mention Saim Ayub in the same breath as Adam Gilchrist and Inzy is quite astonishing.

 

[TheSultan]

Gilly didn’t really destroy Pakistan - there was no pressure chasing 132.

Pakistan destroyed themselves with their pathetic batting that day

In answer to the question, no one knows, but my general principle is when someone has sustained failures it’s futile to hope someone will perform. Keeper’s are a different case as they are contributing somewhere.

It could be argued that saim’s bowling gives him some cushion. Maybe so, but I don’t think his bowling will be effective against India. It’s fine vs Bangladesh, but he’s just not a seasoned enough spinner for a team that plays spin that well.

 

[tiger_khan]

He has played 47 matches. That is fairly substantial number of matches. His average stay at the crease per match is 13 balls. If we go for Median calculation. 10 balls. Basically more than half the time he doesn't stay more than 10 balls. That is tailendersque for a guy who mostly opened. I still try to fathom how this kind of performance is equivalent to Gilly's performance at any stage of his career. Gilly has told a few times that he considered his runs as bonus to his team. He doesn't even treat himself as a specialist batsman. Yet won world cups finals, Test matches. He is the oldest century maker in IPL history till date.

Gilchrist scored 102 in tests at a strike rate of 172.88

Ayub's best score 98 in T20 came at strike rateof 171

If you are comparing Saim to Gilchrist as a player, it's a futile exercise.

Firstly, my intent is not to relate/compare the talent and stature of a player but his form and its implications for the team.

Secondly, although Gilchrist is a cricketing giant but comparing a giant of a cricketer's entire body of work with a relative rookie in the industry is an ineffective approach

Lastly, if Excel calculations were the only thing that matter to evaluate and compare players...Microsoft Excel would be the Chief Selector of all the major cricket teams.

Despite the great statistics of many great South Asian legendary batters, only three come to mind when pitches were difficult to bat in both domestic and away conditions. Sunil Gavaskar, Saleem Malik and Ganguly. There are many South Asian batters who have scored more runs and played more matches than these players but none come close to them when it comes to grit and innings they played in difficult conditions for their teams. Microsoft Excel can't take into account that aspect of cricket. And any spreadsheet can't be used as a proof of one player's ultimate greatness over others.

PS: Sunil Gavaskar's very last innings is a textbook on how to bat on a difficult turning pitch with indifferent bounce. He got out on 90 something. This innings of his was more important than many of his centuries and had great implications for the game. Spreadsheets would omit the qualitative significance of his innings.

 

[sweep_shot]

Gilly didn’t really destroy Pakistan - there was no pressure chasing 132.

Pakistan destroyed themselves with their pathetic batting that day

In answer to the question, no one knows, but my general principle is when someone has sustained failures it’s futile to hope someone will perform. Keeper’s are a different case as they are contributing somewhere.

It could be argued that saim’s bowling gives him some cushion. Maybe so, but I don’t think his bowling will be effective against India. It’s fine vs Bangladesh, but he’s just not a seasoned enough spinner for a team that plays spin that well.

If Saim doesn't get his batting form back soon, he should be temporarily dropped in my opinion.

His bowling can be good against Bangladesh and other weak teams. But, top 5 teams are likely to play him easily.

 

[tiger_khan]

Gilly didn’t really destroy Pakistan - there was no pressure chasing 132.

Pakistan destroyed themselves with their pathetic batting that day

In answer to the question, no one knows, but my general principle is when someone has sustained failures it’s futile to hope someone will perform. Keeper’s are a different case as they are contributing somewhere.

It could be argued that saim’s bowling gives him some cushion. Maybe so, but I don’t think his bowling will be effective against India. It’s fine vs Bangladesh, but he’s just not a seasoned enough spinner for a team that plays spin that well.

Gilchrist did have personal pressure. He was having a miserable WC. When one is out of form the confidence of the team is not relatable.

But I agree, the Australian team in general did not have any pressure while chasing because earlier we batted miserably .

 

[mominsaigol]

He was pretty bad. He wasn't as bad as Saim because he had 50 overs available to him unlike Saim who has to go from the word go because he is playing a T20 tournament

Here are Gilly's numbers throughout the world cup 1999

1) 6 of 16 vs Scotland
2) 14 of 28 vs NZ
3) 0 of 3 vs Pakistan
4) 63 of 39 vs Bangladesh
5) 21 of 36 vs WI
6) 31 of 52 vs WI
7) 10 of 28 vs Zimbabwe
8) 5 of 7 vs SA
9) 54 of 36 vs Pakistan

^^ Not a stellar tournament for Gilly but no where near as bad you are making it out to be.

Secondly the format doesn't matter when you are avg 3 and have faced HK + UAE to compensate.

Yes in ODI you have more time so even if Saim was avg 10-15 I'd have given you the benefit of the doubt.

But he avg 3, you'd think he was a no 11 and not an opener/no 3.

Gilly despite having a bad tournament showed that he was an In form player, however he just wasnt kicking off minus PK and Bangladesh.

Nothing implied he was out of form in 1999.

Saim on the other hand is woefully out of form and its dead set clear while in Gilly's case it was more so silly mistakes and bad luck, not cause he wasn't connecting and was badly out of form.

 

[Savak]

Inzamam mentioned that his mental health and depression was at an all time high during the 2003 ODI WC where he totally lost confidence and self belief. He would go to his hotel room and cry at night and the negative environment in the team didn't help matters either.

He returned for the Bangladesh home series and he failed badly in the Multan test match first innings falling to a Khalid Mehmood bouncer.

He had told his parents that he had enough and that he wanted to retire from International Cricket. He told his buddies Saeed Anwar, Mushtaq Ahmed about his decision and they begged him to relax and atleast wait for the final innings. That Multan knock was Inzis career best knock and his confidence returned and he carried on to play for Pakistan for the next 4 years.

Bad patches come and go in the game but it is ultimately the responsibility of the players to deal with the pressure associated with it ie criticism from the media, ex players, team mates and to ultimately get out of it in time and to rise to the occasion for the team.

 

[Savak]

When Kohli was badly struggling for form and confidence after the 2014 England tour, India dropped him to number 5-6, he eventually scored a ton and his confidence, form returned.

Pakistan need to drop Saim to down the order to relieve the pressure of him. Put him in a batting slot where his only option is to hit out with zero pressure.

Let's be honest, Saim is very very lucky to be getting the amount of chances that he is getting, other players have been dropped after 2 failures.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

He has been contributing with the ball and catching.

 

[Ball Blazer]

When Kohli was badly struggling for form and confidence after the 2014 England tour, India dropped him to number 5-6, he eventually scored a ton and his confidence, form returned.

Pakistan need to drop Saim to down the order to relieve the pressure of him. Put him in a batting slot where his only option is to hit out with zero pressure.

Let's be honest, Saim is very very lucky to be getting the amount of chances that he is getting, other players have been dropped after 2 failures.

He's getting chances just because of his bowling.

 

[Greenstorm]

Unless he gets a 200 wicket like Ind vs Srl the other day, I don't expect a big score from him. In UAE, he should look to score a quick 20-30 instead of his attempts at constructing a big innings.

He bowls and fields well so he still provides utility.

 

[Mamoon]

Saim should bat with a clear head tomorrow and not worry about his form. If he fails, it’s the last match anyway and he will have time to get back into the groove vs South Africa in the upcoming series which will represent a fresh start.

If he does well and plays a match-defining innings, his prior performance will not matter anymore and tomorrow’s innings will define his tournament.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Inzamam mentioned that his mental health and depression was at an all time high during the 2003 ODI WC where he totally lost confidence and self belief. He would go to his hotel room and cry at night and the negative environment in the team didn't help matters either.

He returned for the Bangladesh home series and he failed badly in the Multan test match first innings falling to a Khalid Mehmood bouncer.

He had told his parents that he had enough and that he wanted to retire from International Cricket. He told his buddies Saeed Anwar, Mushtaq Ahmed about his decision and they begged him to relax and atleast wait for the final innings. That Multan knock was Inzis career best knock and his confidence returned and he carried on to play for Pakistan for the next 4 years.

Bad patches come and go in the game but it is ultimately the responsibility of the players to deal with the pressure associated with it ie criticism from the media, ex players, team mates and to ultimately get out of it in time and to rise to the occasion for the team.

I wasn't aware of the back story, thats very interesting

I still remember Inzis first pumping celebration after Multan. I thought it was because we won a tight match, turns out he was also fighting some inner battles.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

When Kohli was badly struggling for form and confidence after the 2014 England tour, India dropped him to number 5-6, he eventually scored a ton and his confidence, form returned.

Pakistan need to drop Saim to down the order to relieve the pressure of him. Put him in a batting slot where his only option is to hit out with zero pressure.

Let's be honest, Saim is very very lucky to be getting the amount of chances that he is getting, other players have been dropped after 2 failures.

Different formats. T20 is not the format for a batsman like Saim to find form and rhythm after an injury.

He's not one of those ridiculously strong guys like Rovman or Tim David. He needs movement .

Should ease his way back with FC/List A cricket.

 

[tiger_khan]

Saim should bat with a clear head tomorrow and not worry about his form. If he fails, it’s the last match anyway and he will have time to get back into the groove vs South Africa in the upcoming series which will represent a fresh start.

If he does well and plays a match-defining innings, his prior performance will not matter anymore and tomorrow’s innings will define his tournament.

i agree

i am looking from the perspective of his personal development - it's important that he gets at least one decent innings in this tournament.

needless to say, if a player like him, fakhar, haris or hasan nawaz, etc.... clicks, he can make you win singlehandedly.

 

[tiger_khan]

Inzamam mentioned that his mental health and depression was at an all time high during the 2003 ODI WC where he totally lost confidence and self belief. He would go to his hotel room and cry at night and the negative environment in the team didn't help matters either.

He returned for the Bangladesh home series and he failed badly in the Multan test match first innings falling to a Khalid Mehmood bouncer.

He had told his parents that he had enough and that he wanted to retire from International Cricket. He told his buddies Saeed Anwar, Mushtaq Ahmed about his decision and they begged him to relax and atleast wait for the final innings. That Multan knock was Inzis career best knock and his confidence returned and he carried on to play for Pakistan for the next 4 years.

Bad patches come and go in the game but it is ultimately the responsibility of the players to deal with the pressure associated with it ie criticism from the media, ex players, team mates and to ultimately get out of it in time and to rise to the occasion for the team.

he also, intentionally lost lot of weight for this tournament. it was a drastic change.

sometimes a vigorous change in body is not good for batting. batting is mostly a reaction feature of cricket. changes in body weight affect reactions.

 

[jnaveen1980]

If you are comparing Saim to Gilchrist as a player, it's a futile exercise.

Firstly, my intent is not to relate/compare the talent and stature of a player but his form and its implications for the team.

Secondly, although Gilchrist is a cricketing giant but comparing a giant of a cricketer's entire body of work with a relative rookie in the industry is an ineffective approach

Lastly, if Excel calculations were the only thing that matter to evaluate and compare players...Microsoft Excel would be the Chief Selector of all the major cricket teams.

Despite the great statistics of many great South Asian legendary batters, only three come to mind when pitches were difficult to bat in both domestic and away conditions. Sunil Gavaskar, Saleem Malik and Ganguly. There are many South Asian batters who have scored more runs and played more matches than these players but none come close to them when it comes to grit and innings they played in difficult conditions for their teams. Microsoft Excel can't take into account that aspect of cricket. And any spreadsheet can't be used as a proof of one player's ultimate greatness over others.

PS: Sunil Gavaskar's very last innings is a textbook on how to bat on a difficult turning pitch with indifferent bounce. He got out on 90 something. This innings of his was more important than many of his centuries and had great implications for the game. Spreadsheets would omit the qualitative significance of his innings.

Even as an isolation Saim is unfit for T20. It is very easy to figure out he is not suitable for keep going harder approach. Cupboard is bare for pakistan. Why are you wasting his potential (whatever he has) in this format? Don't you need him in other formats more?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Different formats. T20 is not the format for a batsman like Saim to find form and rhythm after an injury.

He's not one of those ridiculously strong guys like Rovman or Tim David. He needs movement .

Should ease his way back with FC/List A cricket.

Thought process of pak fans is mind boggling. They somehow believe if you give someone a 100 chance he will come good eventually. He may. But will he sustain. This format is unforgivng for out of form players. Keep on playing them hoping he will click is futile. He will get worse and worse if anything.

 

[mominsaigol]

Different formats. T20 is not the format for a batsman like Saim to find form and rhythm after an injury.

He's not one of those ridiculously strong guys like Rovman or Tim David. He needs movement .

Should ease his way back with FC/List A cricket.

Saim will perform tmr and so will haris.

Man of the tournament is on the cards. And my jinx was broken last game. So its ayt

 

[tiger_khan]

Thought process of pak fans is mind boggling. They somehow believe if you give someone a 100 chance he will come good eventually. He may. But will he sustain. This format is unforgivng for out of form players. Keep on playing them hoping he will click is futile. He will get worse and worse if anything.

i think he will be dropped after this tournament

can't drop him in the final because of his possible bowling and it will be unwise to get someone from the bench who hasn't played many games recently


on a different note, speaking of fans, indian fans have an healthy obsession with stats when it comes to evaluation and selection issues of Pak players. meanwhile SKY averages 12 in the calendar year 2025 in T20I. His games also included Associate teams. Why are the stats not a good measurement tool for Indian players too? Why not drop SKY make Gill captain and bring in a batter from India's strong bench?

 

[jnaveen1980]

i think he will be dropped after this tournament

can't drop him in the final because of his possible bowling and it will be unwise to get someone from the bench who hasn't played many games recently


on a different note, speaking of fans, indian fans have an healthy obsession with stats when it comes to evaluation and selection issues of Pak players. meanwhile SKY averages 12 in the calendar year 2025 in T20I. His games also included Associate teams. Why are the stats not a good measurement tool for Indian players too? Why not drop SKY make Gill captain and bring in a batter from India's strong bench?

No. Indians don't value stats beyond certain point especially in T20. I would drop SKY drop off the hat. He did revolutionize T20 game for few years. Still ranked 6 in the world. I would even drop him permanently. Who said he should be given chance. THere will be nuclear explosion on social media if India had a captain like Agha with thtat stat. SKY is already trolled. We don't even want Gill. HE was not the best batsman for his own franchisee where Sai Sudarshan did better than him in teh IPL 2025.

 

[Abid Z]

I see pak fans keep saying "Hope he clicks". I am yet to see anyone analyzing "Why he is not able to click". No analysis on his meeting points, feet movement, head position all those things. They just already decided he is a generational talent who has nothing to improve. Only thing that is ailing him is "luck" "form". Nothing else. Hope Pakistan think tank doesn't do the same. They analyze a lot about how to bowl to ABhishek . But they should do the same analysis on how to bowl to Saim. They will understand what he lacks

I think if you look at some of the other threads on here you will see there is a lot of criticism of this overhyped batter. Yes he did ok in South Africa in Odis. But on almost every other tour against most other quality opposition he fails. His batting is atrocious. He doesn’t even look like he can craft an innings of substance. I always said I like his bowling more than his batting but even with his bowling once you figure out the cutters away from RHB he’s playable off the front foot. It’s nice to just to enjoy his game and hope he clicks other than that I think nobody expects a Gilchrist

 

[Abid Z]

he also, intentionally lost lot of weight for this tournament. it was a drastic change.

sometimes a vigorous change in body is not good for batting. batting is mostly a reaction feature of cricket. changes in body weight affect reactions.

I think you are right about Inzi but that was 2007 World Cup where he lost a lot of weight. Kamran Abassi wrote a good article but yes inzi was a bit of flop in both World Cups. Pak are traditionally poor in such tournaments and they take a while to get into gear. By that time the tournament is lost.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I think if you look at some of the other threads on here you will see there is a lot of criticism of this overhyped batter. Yes he did ok in South Africa in Odis. But on almost every other tour against most other quality opposition he fails. His batting is atrocious. He doesn’t even look like he can craft an innings of substance. I always said I like his bowling more than his batting but even with his bowling once you figure out the cutters away from RHB he’s playable off the front foot. It’s nice to just to enjoy his game and hope he clicks other than that I think nobody expects a Gilchrist

Sometimes giving breaks can help. Ayub should work on his temperament technique, range in longer format where he gets to face a lot more balls not 20 to 30 balls he faces in T20. You learn absolutely nothing in T20 cricket. If anything it can spoil your basics if you are an unifinished article. You gotta face 100 balls, 200 balls in teh same match to train your muscle memory.

 

[sweep_shot]

he also, intentionally lost lot of weight for this tournament. it was a drastic change.

sometimes a vigorous change in body is not good for batting. batting is mostly a reaction feature of cricket. changes in body weight affect reactions.

Good point.

I think Inzi lost too much weight too quickly for 2003 WC. He ended up scoring 19 runs in 6 matches.

It probably brought him out of his comfort zone and impacted his batting (negatively).

 

[jnaveen1980]

I think you are right about Inzi but that was 2007 World Cup where he lost a lot of weight. Kamran Abassi wrote a good article but yes inzi was a bit of flop in both World Cups. Pak are traditionally poor in such tournaments and they take a while to get into gear. By that time the tournament is lost.

Check Mahela jayawardene in 2003 world cup. He scored 23 runs in 6 mathes. But in 2007 final he made a century.

 

[Prince of Dorne]

We are hoping the same from sky

Came here to say this lol

 

[sweep_shot]

Check Mahela jayawardene in 2003 world cup. He scored 23 runs in 6 mathes. But in 2007 final he made a century.

Mahela in 2003 WC wasn't an established player. He was still relatively new.

 

[Abid Z]

Check Mahela jayawardene in 2003 world cup. He scored 23 runs in 6 mathes. But in 2007 final he made a century.

Yes. The point being that some fantastic players Gilchrist, mahela, inzi can have bad tournament and tours but they find a way to eventually find runs. But Saim unfortunately isn’t in that category. For a start he doesn’t have a stellar first class career behind him so the hard graft of learning appears to have been skipped. At best he’s good for swiping a few strokes in t20 but usually that’s reserved for lower order batters. He should be coming a lot lower. In reality you need a proper opener to partner fakhar whose also a bit too loose. 2 down before long and no wonder we are always a bit wobbly.

 

[RidiculousMan]

He has been scoring ducks. Can't go worse or minus in runs.

He should take this as an opportunity to play his game.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Yes. The point being that some fantastic players Gilchrist, mahela, inzi can have bad tournament and tours but they find a way to eventually find runs. But Saim unfortunately isn’t in that category. For a start he doesn’t have a stellar first class career behind him so the hard graft of learning appears to have been skipped. At best he’s good for swiping a few strokes in t20 but usually that’s reserved for lower order batters. He should be coming a lot lower. In reality you need a proper opener to partner fakhar whose also a bit too loose. 2 down before long and no wonder we are always a bit wobbly.

Almost all your current lot of cricketers are learning on the job. T20 is the worst format to develop as a player. It will destroy your technique, temperament given the amount of balls you get to face here.

 

[tiger_khan]

I think you are right about Inzi but that was 2007 World Cup where he lost a lot of weight. Kamran Abassi wrote a good article but yes inzi was a bit of flop in both World Cups. Pak are traditionally poor in such tournaments and they take a while to get into gear. By that time the tournament is lost.

I could be wrong but I don't remember him losing any significant weight for the 2007 World Cup.

But as far as 2003 World Cup is concerned he was definitely going through a rough personal phase. I think he also mentioned right after the World Cup that his spouse was very sick so it affected his game. He was definitely in a very negative frame of mind during the 2003 World Cup. In a fitness session, while playing soccer apparently he had an altercation with Younis khan. He ran after Younis to assault him. Other people had to restrain him.

 

[Abid Z]

I could be wrong but I don't remember him losing any significant weight for the 2007 World Cup.

But as far as 2003 World Cup is concerned he was definitely going through a rough personal phase. I think he also mentioned right after the World Cup that his spouse was very sick so it affected his game. He was definitely in a very negative frame of mind during the 2003 World Cup. In a fitness session, while playing soccer apparently he had an altercation with Younis khan. He ran after Younis to assault him. Other people had to restrain him.

Yes that is true. Oh the shenanigans of Pak cricket. We don’t need others to put us down we can do that ourselves quite easily.

 

[Abid Z]

Almost all your current lot of cricketers are learning on the job. T20 is the worst format to develop as a player. It will destroy your technique, temperament given the amount of balls you get to face here.

You are absolutely correct there. Many of our current lot arrive in the t20 team on the back of a few good performances in lowly leagues like PSL or CPL. hardly play any first class games and then are forever fighting for their place once the sheen wears off and they get found out. With good first class experience you can become a good t20 player but you can’t go from t20 to Tests. Only David Warner seems to be the exception.

 

[Farabi]

I see pak fans keep saying "Hope he clicks". I am yet to see anyone analyzing "Why he is not able to click". No analysis on his meeting points, feet movement, head position all those things. They just already decided he is a generational talent who has nothing to improve. Only thing that is ailing him is "luck" "form". Nothing else. Hope Pakistan think tank doesn't do the same. They analyze a lot about how to bowl to ABhishek . But they should do the same analysis on how to bowl to Saim. They will understand what he lacks

Good point.

@khyberlion knows batting technique well.
Would you like weighing in on what’s up with Saim Ayub. He hasn’t looked the same batter after his ankle injury.

 

[tiger_khan]

Here are Gilly's numbers throughout the world cup 1999

1) 6 of 16 vs Scotland
2) 14 of 28 vs NZ
3) 0 of 3 vs Pakistan
4) 63 of 39 vs Bangladesh
5) 21 of 36 vs WI
6) 31 of 52 vs WI
7) 10 of 28 vs Zimbabwe
8) 5 of 7 vs SA
9) 54 of 36 vs Pakistan

^^ Not a stellar tournament for Gilly but no where near as bad you are making it out to be.

Secondly the format doesn't matter when you are avg 3 and have faced HK + UAE to compensate.

Yes in ODI you have more time so even if Saim was avg 10-15 I'd have given you the benefit of the doubt.

But he avg 3, you'd think he was a no 11 and not an opener/no 3.

Gilly despite having a bad tournament showed that he was an In form player, however he just wasnt kicking off minus PK and Bangladesh.

Nothing implied he was out of form in 1999.

Saim on the other hand is woefully out of form and its dead set clear while in Gilly's case it was more so silly mistakes and bad luck, not cause he wasn't connecting and was badly out of form.

i saw each and every australian game of the 1999 wc live on TV

i saw him batting. he was mostly struggling. i don't remember which game it was but after one of his dismissals even the commentators mentioned that when a player is out of form nothing goes right

also there is something wrong with the information that you have shared. Australia had two games with South Africa in the 1999 World Cup. you are showing only one

furthermore, if you think there is no difference between a batter's T20 innings and an ODI innings then clearly we see cricket differently

lastly, you must have noticed that Gilchrist had more innings in 1999 World Cup than Saim who has only played six innings so far. in this tournament. That's the reason behind thread. There is an opportunity for Saim to make things right.

 

[Savak]

I could be wrong but I don't remember him losing any significant weight for the 2007 World Cup.

But as far as 2003 World Cup is concerned he was definitely going through a rough personal phase. I think he also mentioned right after the World Cup that his spouse was very sick so it affected his game. He was definitely in a very negative frame of mind during the 2003 World Cup. In a fitness session, while playing soccer apparently he had an altercation with Younis khan. He ran after Younis to assault him. Other people had to restrain him.

The Wasim Waqar phadda and cold war had a negative impact on the team. Almost every member of the team i.e. Shoaib, Afridi, Younis Khan, Yousaf, Saqlain, Razzaq e.t.c have gone on record that WC was right up there with the worst tournament of their lives, everyone by the middle and end got sick of everyone's faces and wanted to come home.

There is a reason why Tauqir Zia cleaned up house immediately without delay. Wasim Waqar tried hard to lobby with the PCB to give them to let them carryon for another year or two but the PCB decided it was best to move on for good.

 

[shaz619]

I wasn't aware of the back story, thats very interesting

I still remember Inzis first pumping celebration after Multan. I thought it was because we won a tight match, turns out he was also fighting some inner battles.

It’s a nice story, but I am still waiting for @Savak to give us a few sources for many of his great tales

 

[Inswing]

We are hoping the same from sky

considering the Indian insane bench strength why he is still persisted with as he is also around 34 already?

 

[Red-Indian]

considering the Indian insane bench strength why he is still persisted with as he is also around 34 already?

I've wondered about that too. It's not like he has some big personality or fan following. He's not even the captain of his IPL team.The only reason I can think of is that the selectors like to have an adult in the room to hopefully keep his head. Most of the batting line-up are pretty young and inexperienced in the international context.

Bumrah and Hardik are there but Bumrah missed a bunch of games and Hardik pissed everyone off with that interview.

And who knows maybe they're right. Maybe a cool, experienced head does help in pressure cooker situations like a final. Kohli was a liability for most of the T20 world cup but delivered in the final. I'm hoping Suryakumar does the same.

 

[mominsaigol]

i saw each and every australian game of the 1999 wc live on TV

i saw him batting. he was mostly struggling. i don't remember which game it was but after one of his dismissals even the commentators mentioned that when a player is out of form nothing goes right

also there is something wrong with the information that you have shared. Australia had two games with South Africa in the 1999 World Cup. you are showing only one

furthermore, if you think there is no difference between a batter's T20 innings and an ODI innings then clearly we see cricket differently

lastly, you must have noticed that Gilchrist had more innings in 1999 World Cup than Saim who has only played six innings so far. in this tournament. That's the reason behind thread. There is an opportunity for Saim to make things right.

Yeah I skipped one SA game regardless it doesnt matter. Everything you stated isn't relevant as Saim Avg 3.

Their is zero excuse or justification for a player to avg 3 regardless of format

 

[Devadwal]

Btw where is second coming of inzy aka Hasan Nawaz ohh he has dropped from playing eleven

 

[BouncerGuy]

Saim's body language has been off.. He never looked like a guy who wanted to get rid of the ghosts of the past....He had a perfect chance against Bangladesh to get his mojo back and gain come confidence but I think he might fail again in the final because I dont like his body language while batting... anxious and lost.

 

[shamaan]

Don't pick him for tests let him recover.