Pakistan opener Saim Ayub has opened up about his batting philosophy as he looks to make his mark on international cricket.
The exciting young left-hander has played 19 T20Is for Pakistan, so far, but is yet to showcase his full potential. Saim’s highest score is 49 in T20Is with a strike-rate of 131.06.
While speaking to Geo News, Ayub said that he focuses on winning the match for Pakistan rather than thinking about personal milestones.
“My target is Man of the Match, not 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,” Ayub said.
Ayub also opened up his famous ‘no-look’ shot.
“I think it was the National T20 in 2022 where I played the no-look shot for the first time but it was not something that I had pre-planned. I was not able to find scoring options so, when I saw that the fine-leg was up in the circle, I played that shot. It was not my intention to not look at the shot, it just happened automatically,” he said.
“However, I don’t prioritise this since it is a high-risk shot. I try to play the other shots more often and only play the no-look shot when it is absolutely necessary,” he added.
Pakistan will face Ireland in the third T20I of the series today in Dublin.
The three-match series is level at 1-1 with the winner of today’s match set to clinch the trophy. Following Ireland's clinical five-wicket victory in the opening game, the visitors staged a remarkable comeback, defeating the hosts by seven wickets.
- Saim Ayub