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[Watch] Saim Ayub Fails In Babar, Rizwan's Absence; Falls Prey To Gwandu In 1st T20I

Abhinav Tyagi

Saim Ayub's Wicket- (Source:@ScreenGrab)Saim Ayub's Wicket- (Source:@ScreenGrab)

The much-awaited T20I series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe kicked off at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday, December 1. In the first T20I, Pakistan's stand-in skipper, Agha Salman, opted to bat first.

Ayub Fails In Seniors' Absence

The visitors, who are without key senior members, got off to a shaky start and lost their first wicket early on. Nonetheless, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan stitched a 39-run stand for the 2nd wicket. As soon as the two batters looked settled, Ayub threw his wicket away and returned to the pavilion with a score of 24 (18), which featured, two fours and a solitary six.

On the 4th ball of the 8th over, Masakadza bowled a flatter pitched delivery outside the off that was meant to be hit. However, Saim didn't connect the ball well and gave a simple catch to Trevor Gwandu at long-off. 

Fans Slam Ayub As He Chases Maiden T20I Fifty

The fans bashed Ayub on social media platforms for his below-par knock. It was his first T20I game since the embarrassing exit from T20 World Cup 2024. It is worth noting that Ayub has played 24 T20Is for Pakistan and is yet to score a solitary fifty for the Men in Green.

The fans pointed out the extended backing by Pakistan for Ayub as he has amassed just 333 runs and averages 15 in T20Is. Meanwhile, a section of the fans also questioned Usman Khan's intent as he played a run-a-ball knock in the 39-run stand with Ayub for the 2nd wicket in which he contributed 15 runs. 

At the time of writing this article, Pakistan are 117/4 after 16 overs.