Daily Times

During the past couple of months, a new star has emerged on the horizon of international cricket in the shape of swashbuckling, wristy and stylish Pakistani opener Saim Ayub.

His meteoric rise has stunned his critics who had written him off following his below-average performances after his international debut against Afghanistan in March 2023.

Part of Pakistan’s T20I and Test squad for some time but a new Saim Ayub emerged after his one-day international debut in Australia last month.

In his debut ODI match in Melbourne on November 4, he could score only one run on five balls.

He was already under the scanner for a dismal performance in the T20I World Cup earlier in the year. Nobody knew that only four days later, on November 8 in Adelaide his career would take a new turn and he would silence his detractors with a sparkling match-winning innings.

On that day, his 82 knockoff 71 balls including five sixes led Pakistan’s charge to a series-levelling nine-wicket victory against mighty Aussies.

He had made a quiet start and could muster just 7 from 27 balls. On the last ball of the eighth over when he played a square drive against Josh Hazlewood on the last ball of eight over and then magnificently deposited Pat Cummins and Starc into the crowd before sweeping Adam Zampa’s ball in the grandstand. Overall he hit six sixes – one off Cummins and Starc each and two of Zampa and Hardie each.

Even after that innings then prophets of doom might have thought that Saim’s Melbourne knock was a fluke, but another confident innings of 42 ( 52) including four fours and one six at Perth in the third ODI was a manifestation that he had come on global cricket stage to stay.

South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) are considered the toughest tests for Asian batters’ technique and temperament and Saim had passed that test with flying colours which beyond any doubt must have given him immense confidence.

After those two innings on Australian soil, he has emerged as a different player and since then he has tasted success in white ball cricket like never before.

Against Zimbabwe, he scored 155 runs in three ODI matches including a 53-ball century which was third fastest by any Pakistani batter. The two fastest centuries were made by none other than Shahid Afridi.

Keeping in mind his form he was added to Pakistan’s T20I team in Zimbabwe and he provided two quick starts with scores of 36(18) and 24 (18) in the first two matches whereas he was rested in the last one.

On South African soil, his dream debut ODI season touched a new high as he played a heroic role in a tense run chase of 240 runs at Paarl. A magnificent hundred from the Pakistan opener helped seal a thrilling win in the first ODI, turning the game on its head after Pakistan lost four top-order batters on only 60 runs. Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam were back in the pavilion by the start of 20th over and the visitors were in deep trouble. This innings was marked with controlled aggression and the maturity of mind of a seasoned cricketer.

When the fourth wicket fell, Saim had scored 30 runs off 54 balls and was trying to bide time on the crease. He even played two consecutive maiden overs from Baartman without losing patience.

He along with Agha Salman soaked the pressure and slowly but steadily built a crucial partnership. By the end of the 25th over the pair took the score to 87 mostly by taking singles and doubles in the rebuilding process like mature and seasoned players. In the 20th over Pakistan reached the 100 mark and 32 over Saim hit a boundary after 40 balls. In the 35 over by Baartman, Saim hit two consecutive sixes and a four on first three balls releasing pressure. In the 40th over he hit Rabbada a four and six to complete a marvellous second century of his brief ODI career in his seventh match. In the second ODI, he played a brisk knock of 25 runs whereas in the third Saim Ayub riding on his stunning form scored a match-winning 101 runs off 94 balls as Pakistan completed a series clean sweep over South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on December 22.

His second century of the series propelled him into an exclusive group of overseas batters who have scored multiple ODI centuries in South Africa. Besides Saim Ayub, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Fakhar Zaman, and Joe Root have achieved the same feat, while Kevin Pietersen and Kohli have three centuries in South Africa.

Ayub’s century was a masterclass in controlled aggression and elegance. Reaching his half-century in 51 balls, he accelerated his innings with a series of powerful shots, including a memorable six off Marco Jansen.

The 22-year-old’s third ODI century further cemented his place among cricket’s rising stars, as he has now averaged an impressive 64.37 in his brief career, with three centuries and one half-century to his name.

Earlier in the second T20i match against South Africa at Centurian on December 13, he had scored 98 not out on just 57 balls studded by 11 fours and five sixes.