Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has shared some positive news regarding Saim Ayub’s recovery, stating that the promising opening batsman is set to make a return to the national team soon. Ayub, who is currently recuperating from a fractured ankle, suffered the injury during the recent two-match Test series against South Africa.
Naqvi confirmed that Ayub’s plaster has been removed, and although he will need approximately three to four weeks to regain full fitness, the 22-year-old is expected to return to the national team once he has fully recovered. “His plaster has been removed, and he is in touch with his doctors. He will need some time to regain full fitness, but we hope to see him back in the squad soon,” Naqvi told Samaa TV.
Before his injury, Ayub was in sensational form. In his last ODI series against Australia, he scored 125 runs in three matches, including a highest score of 82, at an average of 41.66. His consistent performances continued in Zimbabwe, where he scored 155 runs in three ODIs, including a match-winning 113 not out, with an impressive average of 77.50. In the T20I series, he accumulated 60 runs in two games, maintaining an average of 60.
Ayub’s exceptional batting continued during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa. He scored 129 runs in two T20Is, including a career-high 98* not out, at an average of 129. His ODI performance was equally remarkable, as he scored 235 runs in three matches, including two centuries, at an average of 78.33.
However, his performance in the two-Test series against South Africa saw him make just 41 runs in two innings, with an average of 20.50. It’s worth noting that Ayub did not bat in the second Test in Cape Town due to his injury.
As he continues his recovery, Ayub missed Pakistan’s Test series against the West Indies in Multan, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and he has also not been included in the ongoing ODI tri-series involving New Zealand and South Africa. Furthermore, Ayub will not be part of Pakistan’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled from February 19 to March 9.
The following players have been named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah.