Pakistan is set to face New Zealand in the upcoming T20I series. The Men in Green regular skipper, Babar Azam will be back in the squad after taking a rest for the Afghanistan series. However, the former champions faced defeat against Afghanistan, as the Shadab Khan-led side lost the T20I series (1-2) in the UAE.
In his debut series, Peshawar Zalmi’s star, Saim Ayub shined as in the third T20I vs Afghanistan, the left-handed opener scored 49 runs to take his side post the 183-run target, while in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023, Ayub played under the leadership of Pakistan’s all format skipper.
PSL star Saim Ayub is ready to play any role for Pakistan’s team-
“I am ready to play any role for Pakistan team. The thing is to keep myself mentally prepared for any role.
“I got the opportunity to learn from Babar Azam while playing for Peshawar Zalmi. He always gives confidence to youngsters, so I really enjoyed playing alongside him,” said the 20-year-old.
Babar is regarded as one of the great batters of International cricket–and is most often compared to Indian ace batter Virat Kohli. He is currently the No.1 ODI batter for over 700 days. Babar has a total of 28 hundreds in all formats of cricket in International cricket, with little over 59 average in the 50-over format.
The future of Pakistan cricket ??
Saim Ayub ?
Photo courtesy: @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/ocplajTsnQ
— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) April 7, 2023
“We will enter the field with the determination to win every match of the T20 series against New Zealand, I don’t think much about the future, I focus on keeping myself ready for all three formats of the game,” he further added.
Although Zalmi didn’t reach the final of PSL 2023, Saim was exceptional with the bat, in 12 matches he scored 341 runs in PSL 8.
Besides, Saim also opened the innings with skipper Babar for Peshawar in the recently-concluded Pakistan T20 league. The left-handed batter’s stylish batting and consistency made him a solid candidate for his maiden call-up to the national side.
“I have watched videos of successful left-handers, including Saeed Anwar, and I want to earn a name like them and have people use me as an example,” Ayub continued.
The upcoming T20I series of Pakistan against New Zealand is comprised of 5 matches starting on April 14th in Rawalpindi.