Despite 4 ducks at Asia Cup, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub becomes No. 1 T20I all-rounder

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Surprise, surprise! Pakistan opener and part-time off-spinner Saim Ayub has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I rankings for men’s all-rounders.

In the latest update released on Wednesday, October 1, Saim displaced Hardik Pandya from the top of the charts.

Saim Ayub has risen four places to become the new numero uno among all-rounders in the shortest format of the game. The 23-year-old now has 241 rating points, eight more than Hardik Pandya.

It is a surprise ascent, as Saim enjoyed more success with the ball than the bat in the recently concluded Asia Cup. While he picked up eight wickets in seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.40 per over, his primary responsibility – batting – yielded meagre returns. Saim managed only 37 runs at an average of less than four.

In fact,  including one against India. In the final, he managed to get a start, but was dismissed for 14 – a wicket that triggered Pakistan’s collapse as they lost their last nine wickets for just 33 runs against India.

His recent batting record paints a worrying picture. In his last 10 T20Is, Saim has crossed the 20-run mark only once. While he has grown into a dependable off-spinner, showing an array of variations, his batting form has noticeably dipped since his return from the injury that had ruled him out of the Champions Trophy.

ICC T20I Rankings

  1. Saim Ayub (Pakistan) – 241 rating points
  2. Hardik Pandya (India) – 233 rating points
  3. Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) – 231 rating points
  4. Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal) – 214 rating points
  5. Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) – 209 rating points
  6. Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) – 187 rating points
  7. Roston Chase (West Indies) – 184 rating points
  8. Liam Livingstone (England) – 181 rating points
  9. Marcus Stoinis (Australia) – 179 rating points
  10. Axar Patel (India) – 175 rating points

While Saim’s evolution as a bowler has been encouraging, former Pakistan cricketers have urged the team management to give the youngster room and support to rediscover his batting form.

Only recently, Saim Ayub was left out of the Test squad for the upcoming home series against South Africa. Many have hinted that his omission was linked to his dwindling batting returns in T20Is, raising fresh questions about his workload and the direction of his career.

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