Saim Ayub ‘disappointed’ after failing to complete half-century

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team’s young batting sensation Saim Ayub felt “disappointed” for not being able to score a half-century during the first T20 match of the home series against New Zealand. 

Saim scored 47 off 28 before being run out and falling short of his half-century in the opening match on Friday.

He came into bat when Pakistan was 30/2 in 4.2 overs. Saim joined Fakhar to add 79 off 42 for the 3rd wicket partnership.

Talking to Geo News after the game, Saim said that it wasn’t easy to play against the new ball in the initial part of Pakistan’s innings and New Zealand bowlers also did pretty well during the power play.

“My plan was to play the shots according to their merit, stay positive and play as long as possible,” he said.

“It is disappointing not being able to complete the half-century but it’s okay as my intent was to help my team come out of a pressure situation,” Saim said.

The 20-year-old cricketer, who usually bats as an opener, came to bat at number 4 in the first T20I. But for him, batting position isn’t an issue.

“The only difference for me is the difference of new and old ball, that’s it, and also it overcomes sometimes as I can come to bat even inside power play overs,” he said.

“I can play at any position for the team’s requirement, I can plan according to any number and execute it,” he said.

Replying to a question, Saim said that it is important to adopt an aggressive style of batting in modern-day cricket.

“I think it is important for one to play aggressive cricket if he wants to stay relevant in this era. If you look at the top teams around the world, they play aggressive cricket as well,” he said.

Saim said that playing alongside Babar Azam [during Pakistan Super League] has helped him learn a lot about batting. 

“Batting is something which anyone can do, he taught me how to strategise your batting,” he added.

“You know, one can still make runs despite not putting much effort or planning but what Babar taught me was how to read the game, how to understand the situation and how to plan your innings, which was very helpful,” said the young batter.

When asked about his goals in the series, Saim said that he wanted Pakistan to win the series 5-0 and to contribute his runs to the winning cause for the team.