Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam was in full praise for his teammate Saim Ayub as the Men in Green won the first T20I against New Zealand by 88 runs. Ayub scored 47 (28) as the home side was bowled out for 182 runs.
Star Pakistan left-handed batter, Fakhar Zaman, who made a crucial partnership with youngster Ayub at Gaddafi Stadium, says that after Babar Pakistan has got such an immensely talented in the form of Ayub.
Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman praised Saim Ayub after his crucial knock against NZ-
“Saim is a wonderful addition to the batting line-up. His range of shots is really good. After Babar, Pakistan got such a player. You can’t judge a player so early, but I feel that if he continues to work hard and take care of himself, then he would serve Pakistan for a long time and will win a lot of matches for Pakistan,” Fakhar said.
During the first T20I Pakistan lost both their openers with the score reading 30, Ayub joined hands with Fakhar to up the tempo with a crucial 79 runs off just 43 balls partnership. Ayub, who represented Peshawar Zalmi struck two sixes and six boundaries in his innings. Whereas, Zaman struck four boundaries and two sixes in his 47-run knock.
Excellent striking ?@SaimAyub7 and @FakharZamanLive launching the big hits #PAKvNZ | #CricketMubarak pic.twitter.com/vGmt6LBt0O
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 14, 2023
“Saim and Fakhar rebuilt the innings and didn’t let us feel under pressure. However much we praise and appreciate Saim Ayub isn’t enough. He’s improving day by day, avails his opportunities, and dominates. I wish him the best for the future,” Babar said.
While in the match, the Babar Azam-led side posted 182 runs, with Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim adding crucial runs later in the innings, with 22 and 16 runs respectively.
During the chase, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals. Mark Chapman showed some resistance with the bat to score 34 runs, and eventually, the Kiwi side was bowled out for 94 runs in 15.3 overs.
Ayub made his debut for Men in Green in the last T20I series against Afghanistan, where he shined in the 3rd T20I but Pakistan lost the series by 1-2. He would be eager to score runs in the second game of the five-match T20I series scheduled on April 15.
Also read: IPL 2023: Pakistan’s New Batting Sensation Saim Ayub Reveals His Love For Virat Kohli And RCB