Pakistan's trump card turns into liability - Saim Ayub in hot waters before T20 World Cup 2026

Saim Ayub during Asia Cup 2025 [Source: AFP] 

Pakistan’s young opening batter Saim Ayub was once seen as the future of Pakistan’s top order. With his fearless range of strokes and ability to dominate bowlers early, he was regarded as a long-term T20 asset. 

However, things changed dramatically after the ankle injury he suffered in South Africa in January this year. Although he returned to the national squad soon after recovery, the comeback has been far from ideal. 

His current form poses a serious question as the T20 World Cup 2026 approaches, and Pakistan may soon be forced to reconsider their opening options if his struggles continue.

Notably, Saim Ayub has played 52 T20Is, scoring 1,016 runs at a strike rate of 133.46, including five half-centuries. On paper, these numbers suggest stability for a 23-year-old. 

But when split into pre-injury vs post-injury, the contrast exposes an alarming downfall.

Ayub’s T20I stats before injury shows consistency and high impact batting

Before the injury, Ayub looked like a complete T20 top-order batter. Since making his debut in 2023, he has demonstrated calmness under pressure and the ability to attack bowlers from the very beginning while still rotating the strike intelligently. 

[Saim Ayub's batting stats in T20Is before injury]

In his first 27 T20I innings, he scored 498 runs at an impressive strike rate of 137.95, including his highest score of an unbeaten 98. 

The most defining trait of Ayub during this period was his composure in big moments. He frequently converted his starts into match-shaping scores and provided the kind of quick impact that Pakistan had long been missing during the powerplay overs.

At that point, he was not only meeting expectations but often exceeding them.

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Saim Ayub's after-injury stats show an abrupt loss of rhythm

The decline began immediately after his return. Ayub was recalled for the Bangladesh T20I series in May, but the comeback turned into a nightmare. The young batter started with a duck, and across the three innings, he managed only 49 runs at an average of 16.33. Many dismissed it as post-injury rust, but the dip continued.

In the home T20I series against Bangladesh, he again failed to establish himself, scoring only 28 runs in three innings.

[Saim Ayub's batting stats in T20Is in 2025]

The most concerning phase came during the Asia Cup 2025, where expectations were extremely high. Instead of delivering, Ayub registered three consecutive ducks, marking a rare and unwanted record. Across seven innings, he managed just 37 runs, a return nowhere would have imagined after the lofty standard he had set during his early phase of his career.

Even though Pakistan continued to back him in subsequent home and away fixtures and during the Tri-Nation series, the trend remained unchanged. His repeated failures affected Pakistan’s top-order stability, forcing middle-order batters into early recovery mode far too often.

Road to redemption ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Despite the fact that Saim Ayub’s form has dropped badly, he is still young and has enough time to fix his game and save his international career. To make it happen, he needs to work on his footwork, choose his shots more wisely, and learn to stay longer at the crease instead of trying to hit big boundaries just after arriving in the middle.

• Recently, Ayub has shown improvement with the ball, which might be one of the reasons the PCB is still backing him. In the Asia Cup 2025, his bowling was useful, and the team believes he can contribute with the bat too. 
• Notably, his performance in South Africa series, where he made 169 runs across three innings, also proved that he is not done yet. Overall, in 27 innings, he has taken 19 wickets, that too at a good economy rate of 6.84, making himself dimensional -- something a team management demands badly in the shortest format of the game.

However, Pakistan have given him a lot of chances, and considering the T20 World Cup is not too far away, the next three months will be very important. And if things go south in the times to come, don't be surprised if Pakistan look for a more reliable opener than him before the mega event.

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