Collage exhibiting Pakistani batter Saim Ayub (left) and former Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. — AFP/Reuters
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has heaped reward on Pakistan’s opener Saim Ayub, saying the Salman Ali Agha-led facet may grow to be “hard to beat” if the left-hander delivers sturdy performances within the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Pakistan will face New Zealand within the opening match of the mega occasion’s Tremendous Eight stage at this time (Saturday) on the R Premadasa Worldwide Cricket Stadium.
Throughout a current dialogue, Ponting in contrast Ayub to South African sensation Dewald Brevis, describing the 23-year-old as a “beautiful left-hander”.
“He is [Saim Ayub], I think, a youthful talent who is a bit like Dewald Brevis. If he can put a couple of good performances on the board, then Pakistan becomes hard to beat,” Ponting mentioned.
“…I just love watching him play. I just think he’s got so much talent. A beautiful left-hander who plays shots all around the ground.”
Ayub has struggled with the bat within the ongoing event, registering modest scores through the group stage, although he has claimed 5 wickets to this point.
Towards the Netherlands, he scored 24 runs and took 2/7 with the ball. Within the second match in opposition to the USA, he made 19 runs however went wicketless, whereas within the high-profile conflict in opposition to India, he managed six runs and picked up 3/25.
His ultimate group-stage outing in opposition to Namibia noticed him contribute 14 runs with out taking a wicket.
Regardless of these challenges, Ayub has proven glimpses of his all-round capacity in T20Is this yr. In his final 9 matches, he has scored 142 runs and brought eight wickets, highlighting his potential to affect video games with each bat and ball.
For the unversed, Pakistan completed second in Group A, profitable three of their 4 matches, with their solely defeat coming in opposition to India by 61 runs.
Within the Tremendous Eights, they’re positioned in Group 2 alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and England.
Pakistan’s remaining Tremendous Eight matches are scheduled in opposition to England on February 24 and Sri Lanka on February 28, each in Colombo.
