Saim Ayub defends his batting stats

Pakistan opening batter Saim Ayub has opened up on his batting philosophy, saying that he prefers winning matches rather than focusing on a 50 or 100 score.

In an interview with a private TV channel, the young star said that his aim was securing the Man of the Match rather than going for fifty or a hundred.

“I don’t think about numbers as I aim to win the match for my team. It can be any figure, 50, 70 or 100, but I don’t think about that since I’m focused on winning the match,” Saim Ayub added.

For Ayub, his focus is to contribute to the team’s victories rather than thinking about personal milestones.

On his ‘no-look’ shot, the Pakistan batter said that he first played the shot in the National T20 in 2022 which was a spontaneous decision after he looked the field placement by the opposition.

“I could not find scoring options during the match. I played that shot when I saw that the fine-leg was up in the circle,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Saim Ayub has been criticised by many for failing to play a big knock despite playing 19 T20Is for Pakistan.

His highest score is 49 with a strike-rate of 131.06.

Earlier, former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja raised concerns over Saim Ayub’s poor form in the Ireland series.

Speaking at his YouTube channel, the former cricketer questioned the effectiveness of Ayub in the opening spot for the Men in Green as he stressed consistency and reliability at the top of the order.

“I don’t think Saim Ayub gives you security, he shows flashes of brilliance. If you don’t score 50 off 30 balls then breaking Rizwan and Babar’s opening duo doesn’t make any sense,” Raja said.