Proven failures who luckily got into Pakistan squad for South Africa T20Is despite flop show

Saim Ayub and Agha Salman's inclusion was surprising [Source: AFP]

On Thursday, the PCB selection committee announced Pakistan's squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Led by Agha Salman, the same set of players will represent the Men in Green in the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe later on home soil. 

While Babar Azam and Naseem Shah returned to T20Is, Pakistan kept Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman among the reserve players. Meanwhile, several players were surprisingly included in the team despite not living up to the expectations in the past, as mentioned below. 

Saim Ayub

(Saim Ayub's poor record in T20I cricket)

• Left-handed batter Saim Ayub had a poor Asia Cup campaign in the UAE. Saim registered four ducks in the tournament, accumulating only 37 runs across seven innings at a horrendous average of 5.29. 
• Saim Ayub hasn't had a great T20I career so far, managing 853 runs at a mediocre average of 19.4 and a strike rate of 134.1. These numbers suggest that he hasn't been able to meet the demands of the shortest format so far. 
• However, the PCB selection committee backed Saim Ayub, including him in the T20I squad despite his horror run in the format. Although Saim failed with the bat, he showcased his all-round attributes in the Asia Cup, scalping eight wickets in six innings. His bowling excellence is believed to have helped him retain his T20I spot; however, Pakistan might not give him a long rope if he doesn't justify his selection. 

Agha Salman

(Agha Salman's record in T20Is)

• Agha Salman is Pakistan's T20I captain, but if we look at his numbers, he actually doesn't deserve a place in the shortest format. While Salman averages a modest 23.4 in T20Is, his worrisome strike rate of 110.2 has done real damage to the Pakistani middle order. 
• A strike rate of just over 110 after 30 T20I innings suggests Agha Salman has yet to prove himself in the format. Also, given the massive backlash he received after Pakistan's three successive defeats against India in the Asia Cup 2025, Salman is actually lucky to retain his place as the side's skipper. 
• That said, if he continues his horror run in T20I cricket, we might see the PCB replace him with another player when Pakistan play their next series after the tri-nation tournament. Ideally, Salman should improve his numbers, particularly his scoring rate, to keep his place in the T20I squad. 

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Usman Khan

(Usman Khan has done nothing significant in T20Is)

• In a bold move, the PCB recalled Usman Khan into T20Is for the upcoming series against South Africa and the tri-nation tournament. The right-handed batter replaced Mohammad Haris, who failed to find a place in both T20I and ODI squads. 
• While Haris averages 17.3 in T20I cricket, Usman Khan has worse numbers than him in the format. In 17 innings, the batter has managed only 239 runs, averaging less than fifteen in T20Is. 
• Also, given the fact that Mohammad Haris was Pakistan's third most successful batter in the Asia Cup with 131 runs at a strike rate of 133.67, Usman Khan making it into the team doesn't make sense and is genuinely surprising.

Abdul Samad

(Abdul Samad's T20I record)

• As evidenced by the above stats, Abdul Samad hasn't had a great T20I career, managing only 66 runs across four innings at an average of 16.5. Samad, a player renowned for his clean-striking abilities, has scored at an abysmal rate of 113.79 for Pakistan in the shortest format. 
• However, despite his failures in the past, Pakistan recalled the right-handed batter, surprising fans as well as experts. That said, one can argue that Pakistan are currently experimenting with their middle order, which seems like a work in progress. Thus, Samad's inclusion is purely experimental, with the underwhelming returns from Agha Salman and Hassan Nawaz in the Asia Cup likely to have played a role. 

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