Saim Ayub (born 24 May 2002) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for Pakistan national cricket team and for Karachi Whites in domestic cricket. He made his international debut in T20 against Afghanistan on 24 March 2023 and made his test debut vs Australia in the 3rd test on 3 January. He has been a regular member in T20 since his debut[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 24 May 2002 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling |
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| Role | Opening -Batter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Only Test (cap 256) | 3 January 2024 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 101) | 24 March 2023 v Afghanistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 11 June 2024 v Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 63 (formerly 15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Quetta Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sindh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022/23 | Rangpur Riders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023-present | Peshawar Zalmi (squad no. 6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Guyana Amazon Warriors (squad no. 1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Karachi Whites (squad no. 63) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 18 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
His father Ayub Ahmed and his uncle Mohammad Javed both played cricket at club level, Saim being initiated into the game at a young age with tape ball cricket from Gulistan-e-Johar, helped by his father as well by two elder brothers.[2]
Domestic and franchise career
In February 2021, Saim made his Twenty20 debut for Quetta Gladiators in the 2021 Pakistan Super League.[3]
In March 2022, he made his List A debut for Sindh in the 2021–22 Pakistan Cup.[4]
In September 2022, he made his first-class debut for Sindh in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022/23.
Pakistan Super League
In 2021, he played for Quetta Gladiators but didn't perform well hence he couldn't become regular member of the playing XI and was dropped from the squad for the next season. In February 2023, while playing for Peshawar Zalmi during the 2023 PSL, he hit his maiden PSL half-century off 33 deliveries, observers comparing him to Saeed Anwar.[5] Saim Ayub continues to make his mark in the PSL 2023 season with consistent run scoring for Peshawar Zalmi along with Babar Azam.[6] In match 25 between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2023 season, Saim scored 74 off 34 and helped Peshawar Zalmi post 240/2 in 20 overs. In match 27 of PSL 2023, he played a blistering knock of 58 off 33 balls.[7] He finished the season with 341 runs with an average of 28.41 and strike rate of 165.53 across 12 matches.[8]He has also been the part of CPL 2023 season. He performed well in the league and helped his team Amazon Warriors to get the title with his outstanding performance in the final.
International career
In December 2022, alongside fast bowler Ihsanullah and batsman Haseebullah Khan, Saim Ayub was one of the three youngsters selected to be included in the national squad for the second Test match of the New Zealand series in Karachi, so they could get some international exposure and see the dynamics of the dressing room.[9]
In March 2023, he was named in Pakistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the series against Afghanistan.[10] He made his T20I debut in the first T20I of the series, on 24 March 2023.[11] On 20th November 2023, he was selected in Pakistan's Test squad for the series in Australia.[12] He made his debut on 3 January 2024 in the third test match of the series. He got out for a duck in his first innings.[13]
In May 2024, he was named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.[14]