DUBAI: Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has heaped high praise on Saim Ayub, calling him an updated version of Babar Azam.
Saim has represented Pakistan in 8 Tests, 12 ODIs, and 41 T20Is. The southpaw has made headlines with his elegant strokeplay. His best in ODIs came against South Africa in 2024, where he scored two centuries in a 3-0 whitewash for Pakistan.
Overall, in 41 T20Is, Saim Ayub has accumulated 816 runs at an average of 22.05 and a strike rate of 136.45 with the help of four half-centuries.
Now, Fakhar Zaman has praised Saim Ayub and stated that about the batter’s skill during a video appearance on the social media handle of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
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“Someone asked me in Lahore and I told him that he is Babar Azam’s updated version,” Fakhar said.
“He is a very different player and I think he has not yet shown 80 per cent of himself to the world,” he added.
Alongside Fakhar, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach also lauded Saim Ayub as a linchpin for the team.
“Look, Saim is a key player for us and we know that if Saim scores runs, we generally win,” Hesson stated.
“It’s not so much contributions, it’s a matter of if it’s your day, you wi,n and Saim is certainly one of those players,” he concluded.
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