Young sensation Saim Ayub has endured a horrendous start to 2025! The southpaw, who has been the best Pakistani batter across formats, unfortunately broke his ankle while fielding the first innings of the second Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
Saim Ayub injured, doubtful for ICC Champions Trophy
Pakistan’s Saim Ayub suffered an unfortunate injury during the first hour of the ongoing Test match. The young cricketer hurt his right ankle while attempting to chase down a ball at the short third-man boundary. Mohammad Abbas delivered a fuller-length ball outside off-stump, which Ryan Rickelton edged past the gully for three runs. Ayub sprinted from the slip cordon in pursuit but twisted his ankle in the process, collapsing in visible pain.
The team’s physio rushed to his aid, and Ayub was eventually helped off the field by teammates and medical staff. He appeared to be in massive discomfort and will undergo scans to assess the severity of the injury. Meanwhile, Abdullah Shafique has been brought in as a substitute fielder in Ayub’s absence. Pakistan will be hoping for positive news, as Ayub is a vital part of their team now.
With this, Saim Ayub’s spot for the ICC Champions Trophy is almost gone. This would be a massive blow to Pakistan given Ayub’s splendid form in recent times. In fact, since November 2024, no other batter is near Ayub in scoring runs in one-day internationals. Ayub has hammered 515 runs at an average of 64.37 in his last nine ODI innings. His strike rate of 105.53 also shows how happily he likes to get on top of oppositions. He nailed down the opening spot with ease but now Pakistan have to slot in Abdullah Shafique despite him having a poor record in recent times.
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