Saim Ayub | Pakistan

Opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub have been ruled out of the upcoming one-day international (ODI) series against Australia, scheduled to begin on May 30, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday. According to a press release issued by the cricket board, both players are “currently recovering from injuries and have been advised to continue their rehabilitation programmes under the supervision of the PCB medical panel”. “Consequently, they have been ruled out of selection for the ODI series,” it added. The cricket board wished both players a speedy recovery and said it looked forward to seeing them return to competitive cricket at the earliest opportunity. It added that further updates regarding the squad and player fitness would be shared in due course. The Australian men’s cricket team is scheduled to tour Pakistan for a three-match ODI series. According to the schedule announced, the visitors will arrive in Islamabad on May 23 and face the Green Shirts in the first ODI at the Rawalpindi Cr...

Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20 All-Rounder Rankings on the back of “some excellent showings” during the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Pakistan whitewashed Australia with a 3-0 victory in the series, during which Saim scored 119 run and claimed three wickets. An announcement by the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday that Saim moved up one slot to regain the top spot in the monthly rankings, replacing Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza. The cricket’s governing body said the development “bodes well for Ayub and Pakistan just days out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the Asian side look to claim their second title in the 20-over showcase event and their first since they tasted success in the second edition of the tournament back in 2009”. Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed also moved up two places to the second spot in the T20 bowler rankings. He grabbed six wickets in the series against Australia and was “now ju...

Pakistan batter Saim Ayub said on Saturday that the team was not just focusing on the Pakistan-India match, but winning the men’s Asia Cup. The arch-rivals will clash in a geopolitically-charged men’s Asia Cup contest in Dubai on Sunday. It will be the first cricket match between the sides since four days of military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. While reigning T20 world champions India are the firm favourites to retain their title, Pakistan are on a high, having convincingly beaten Afghanistan to win the final of a tri-series and Oman in the lead-up to the contest. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Dubai, Saim said: “We are not just looking forward to the Pakistan-India match, but we are looking forward to winning the tournament.” He added that the current tournament is what matters at this moment. Responding to a question about Pakistan’s new batting approach against the quality of the Indian attack, Saim said: “The focus is on playing fearless cricket against all opponen...