Pakistan cricket team’s young batting sensation Saim Ayub feels that adopting aggressive style of play is important for staying relevant in modern day international cricket.
Saim scored 47 off 28 before being run out and falling short of his half century in the first T20I against New Zealand in Lahore on Friday.
He came into bat when Pakistan were 30-2 in 4.2 overs. Saim joined Fakhar to add 79 off 42 for the third wicket partnership.
Talking to Geo News after the game, Saim said that it wasn’t easy to play against the new ball in 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 its merit, stay positive and play as long as possible,” he said.
“It is disappointing not to be able to complete the half century but its okay as my intent was to help my team come out of pressure situation,” Saim said.
The 20-year-old cricketer, who usually bats as 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 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 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 has helped him learn a lot about batting.
“Batting is something which anyone can do, he taught me how to strategize your batting,” Saim said.
“You know, one can still make runs despite not putting much efforts 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 want Pakistan to win the series 5-0 and to contribute his runs in winning cause for the team.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.