Saim Ayub is a very talented player. His recent performances against Zimbabwe, Australia and South Africa were appreciated by the legends of the games including Ricky Ponting. Naseer Hussain mentioned him in the Potential Fab 4 of the cricketing world.
Unfortunately, he had an injury while playing the second test against South Africa that might make him miss the champion’s trophy.
This has given Pakistan Cricket Team a big blow only a month before the mega event. PCB was very hopeful for his recovery but there are chances that he might miss the tournament.
And ‘who will replace him as an opener in the team?’ is the biggest question that PCB might be thinking?
PCB had four options. Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Usman and Shan Masood. Abdullah Shafique and Muhammad Usman are out of form so PCB is not considering them.
Therefore, the only option they’re left with is Imam-ul-Haq, who was in the top 3 ODI batsmen in 2023, has been very good in ODI but hasn’t played since ODI World Cup 2023. Another option is Shan Masood, who is the Test Team captain and is good in ODI as well.
There is also another option that can solve the middle order problem for Pakistan and can bring balance to the team combination.
PCB is also considering bringing back Khushdil Shah in the middle order replacing Saim Ayub. Additionally, they plan to have Babar Azam with Fakhar Zaman as openers.
Babar is the greatest Pakistani Batsmen of this decade and has been opening in T20s, his partnership with Fakhar Zaman can be very strong for the team as they can give Pakistan Team a very good start.
Khushdil Shah’s inclusion can strengthen the middle order, he is also in a very good form as observed in the matches played during Bangladesh Premier League.
Although fans were a bit disappointed as they wanted to see the in-form Saim Ayub in the tournament, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman’s opening together is also a treat for the fans.
