NEW DELHI: Ahead of the
T20 World Cup
, former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja believes that if opener
Saim Ayub
fails to perform consistently, it would be pointless to disrupt the well-established opening partnership of
Mohammad Rizwan
and
Babar Azam
.
Despite showing signs of improvement with a quick-fire knock of 45 off 29 balls in the first
T20I
against Ireland, Ayub struggled in the second match, scoring only 6 runs during Pakistan's chase of 194 on Sunday in Dublin.
"I don't think Saim Ayub gives you security, he shows flashes of brilliance. If you don't score 50 off 30 balls then breaking Rizwan and Babar's opening duo doesn't make any sense," Ramiz said on his YouTube channel on Monday.
In the recent series against New Zealand, Ayub managed to score only 52 runs in four matches at an average of 14.25, with his highest score being 32. Prior to Ayub's inclusion, Babar and Rizwan were the designated openers for Pakistan and were considered one of the most successful opening pairs in white-ball cricket.
The record-breaking duo of Babar and Rizwan had forged a 105-run partnership, which was their third century stand in the last edition of the Men's T20I World Cup in 2022, setting a new record for the most hundred partnerships by an opening pair in the tournament's history.
With the series against Ireland tied at 1-1 after Pakistan's victory in the second match, the deciding third T20I will be played on Tuesday at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin.
(Inputs from ANI)
English (US) ·