After a topsy-turvy group stage and Super 4 round, Pakistan have somehow managed to qualify for the Asia Cup 2025 final and will be up against arch-rival India in the summit clash in Dubai this coming Sunday. Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in a low-scoring game on Thursday to confirm their spot in the finals as Pakistan’s pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi impressed with both ball as well as with the bat.
While Pakistan are thriving on individual brilliance, the team is yet to perform as a collective unit, with the biggest disappointment being the batting of Saim Ayub. The top-order batter registered his fourth duck in his sixth innings of the Asia Cup 2025 during the Bangladesh match. Although the right-arm off-spinner has picked eight wickets and has been one of the biggest contributors for Pakistan with the ball, his repeated failure in his primary role as a top-order batter has been disappointing.
Frustrated by Ayub’s poor batting show, one of the greatest Pakistan pacers, Waqar Younis, has called for his removal from the Pakistan playing eleven.
“Look, I said it after the second duck, I said this guy needs to be benched. It’s not that he is not talented; he is very talented. I think he is the future of Pakistan cricket. But sometimes when things are not going right for you, you just keep going in the shell, keep going down and down, and that’s what is happening here with him. His body language was poor this afternoon when he walked onto the field,” Younis said during his commentary stint.
Ayub, who played only 45 innings, already has the second most ducks for Pakistan in T20Is. His nine no-run figures place him second on his unwanted list, below Umar Akmal, who recorded 10 ducks in 79 innings. He has only managed 23 runs off 27 deliveries in this event, with his figures reading 0, 0, 0, 21, 2, and 0 in six innings.
Younis said Pakistan are not helping Ayub’s case by not dropping him.
“You know, he (Ayub) is a youngster, you really need to look after them sometimes, by just not playing them sometimes. Pakistan kept on playing him, just purely because he can bowl. You don’t need to worry about his bowling; Pakistan needs to worry about his batting. If he is going to give us runs or not. At the moment, it’s not happening. He needs to dig deeper in his game to score a few runs,” Younis added.
The postWaqar Younis demands axe for Saim Ayub after fourth duck of Asia Cup appeared first on Indian Express
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