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Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has expressed his frustration with Saim Ayub following the left-hander’s latest failure against Bangladesh his fourth duck in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Ayub once again got out without scoring, continuing his poor run with the bat after six matches in the tournament. Notably, he only avoided ducks in matches against India and Sri Lanka during the Super 4 stage. So far, the 23-year-old has accumulated just 23 runs in the competition.
While Ayub has contributed six wickets with the ball during the tournament, Younis emphasized that Pakistan should prioritize fixing his batting troubles rather than relying on his bowling skills.
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Addressing the issue on SonyLiv, Waqar commented, “Look, I said it after the second duck, I said this guy needs to be benched. It’s not that he is not talented; he is very talented. I think he is the future of Pakistan cricket. But sometimes when things are not going right for you, you just keep going in the shell, keep going down and down, and that’s what is happening here with him. His body language was poor this afternoon when he walked onto the field.”
He further explained, “You know, he is a youngster, you really need to look after them sometimes, by just not playing them sometimes. Pakistan kept on playing him, just purely because he can bowl. You don’t need to worry about his bowling; Pakistan needs to worry about his batting. If he is going to give us runs or not. At the moment, it is not happening. He needs to dig deeper in his game to score a few runs.”
Ayub’s tumble in form
Though Ayub entered the Asia Cup with inconsistent batting form, his struggles worsened drastically during the tournament. Despite Pakistan’s overall batting disappointments, Ayub has borne the brunt of criticism. His performance with the bat has been mostly forgettable in this campaign.
A chance for redemption in historic final
Ayub still has the opportunity to turn things around if he delivers in the highly anticipated Asia Cup final against India. The two rivals will meet for the third time in this tournament, but this occasion holds added significance as the first-ever India-Pakistan showdown in an Asia Cup final. The thrilling match is scheduled for September 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Saim Ayub registered his 7th duck in international cricket in 2025, with 6 of them coming in T20Is alone.
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