International career
Saim Ayub started playing for the Pakistan national team in 2023. He showed good progress in all formats. Below is how his international career developed over time.
2022
- In December, he joined Pakistan’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand in Karachi. This was for exposure to the team environment.
2023
- In March, he got selected for Pakistan's T20I squad against Afghanistan.
- On March 24, he played his first T20I match in that series.
- On November 20, he entered Pakistan’s Test squad for the series against Australia.
2024
- On January 3, he played his first Test match in the third game of the series against Australia. He got out for a duck in his first innings.
- In May, he became part of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
- In August, he joined the Test squad for the series against Bangladesh.
- In September-October, he was in Pakistan’s 17-man squad for a three-Test series against England.
- On October 15, he scored 77 (160) against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
- On October 27, he got selected for Pakistan’s tours of Zimbabwe and Australia.
- On November 4, he played his first ODI against Australia and scored 1 run before Mitchell Starc bowled him.
- On November 6, in the second ODI against Australia, he scored 82 off 71 balls. This helped Pakistan level the series.
- On November 9, he top-scored with 42 off 52 in the final ODI. Pakistan won the series.
- On November 23, he played his first ODI against Zimbabwe and scored 11 off 17.
- On November 26, he hit a century off just 53 balls, which became the second-fastest ODI hundred by a Pakistani player. Only Shahid Afridi had scored a faster one. Pakistan won the match by 10 wickets.
- On November 28, in the final ODI against Zimbabwe, he scored 31 off 37 and took two wickets. He won the Player of the Series award with 155 runs and 3 wickets.
- In the T20I series against Zimbabwe, he scored 24 off 18 in the first match and an unbeaten 36 off 18 in the second. With the series already secured, he did not play in the third match.
- On December 4, he got named in Pakistan’s squad for all three formats for the tour of South Africa.
- On December 10, in the first T20I against South Africa, he scored 31 off 15 balls.
- On December 13, he scored his first T20I half-century, finishing with 98 off 57 balls.
- On December 17, he hit his second ODI century against South Africa. He became the youngest player to score an ODI hundred against South Africa while chasing, breaking Brian Lara’s 31-year-old record.
- On December 22, in the third ODI, he scored another century with 101 off 94 balls.
- During the second Test in Cape Town, he twisted his ankle. This injury ruled him out of the series and ended his tour of South Africa.
Leagues Participation
Saim Ayub has played in different T20 leagues. His performances helped teams in domestic and international tournaments. Below is a look at his matches in major leagues.
Caribbean Premier League
In 2023, Saim Ayub played for Guyana Amazon Warriors. He helped the team win the CPL title. His performance in the final was important. He scored 478 runs in 13 innings with an average of 43.45.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Matches
|
Runs
|
Average
|
|
2023
|
Guyana Amazon Warriors
|
13
|
478
|
43.45
|
Pakistan Super League
Saim Ayub joined Quetta Gladiators in 2021, but he did not perform well. The team did not keep him for the next season.
In 2023, he played for Peshawar Zalmi. He scored 341 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 165.53. His innings in Match 25 brought 74 runs off 34 balls. In Match 27, he scored 58 off 33 balls.
In 2024, he played 11 matches and scored 345 runs. According to Cricbuzz, he was fifth in total runs. On March 4, 2024, he set a record in a match against Islamabad United. He dismissed Alex Hales with the first ball, becoming the first player in PSL history to take a wicket on the first delivery of a match.
Saim Ayub missed the 2025 season due to an ankle injury during a match in South Africa. Doctors advised a five-week rest.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Matches
|
Runs
|
Average
|
Strike Rate
|
|
2021
|
Quetta Gladiators
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
2023
|
Peshawar Zalmi
|
12
|
341
|
28.41
|
165.53
|
|
2024
|
Peshawar Zalmi
|
11
|
345
|
-
|
-
|
|
2025
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Domestic career
Saim Ayub started playing in the PSL 2021 for Quetta Gladiators when he was 18. His early matches were not very successful. Later, he performed well in the National T20 Cup and finished as the second-highest run-scorer. His attacking batting helped him join Peshawar Zalmi, where he continued to score runs.
In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 final, he became the first player to hit a century and a double-century in the final. In the second innings, he scored 109 runs off 179 balls, hitting 12 fours and one six.
In February 2025, doctors ruled him out of the Champions Trophy due to a leg injury. He got injured in January during a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
Records and achievements
Saim Ayub set several records in 2024. His performances stood out in international matches.
- November 26, 2024 – Scored 100 runs off 53 balls in the second ODI against Zimbabwe. This was the second-fastest ODI century by a Pakistani cricketer, after Shahid Afridi.
- December 17, 2024 – Scored 100 runs against South Africa. He became the youngest player to hit a century against them in ODIs.
- October 15, 2024 – Scored 77 runs in an ODI match against England.
- 2024 – Nominated for the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year award. This award goes to the best young player in international cricket.
- 2024 – Named Player of the Series after Pakistan won 3-0 against South Africa.
Personal life
Saim’s father, Ayub Ahmed, and his uncle, Mohammad Javed, both played cricket at the club level. Saim learned cricket at an early age with tape ball cricket in Gulistan-e-Johar, guided by his father and two older brothers.
Finance
Saim Ayub’s net worth is believed to be between $1 million and $5 million.
Scandals
On February 11, 2025, during an interview in the UK, a journalist treated Saim Ayub disrespectfully. He kept asking uncomfortable questions and criticizing Saim, causing tension. When Saim did not answer, the journalist accused him of being “rude.” Saim then decided to walk out of the interview.
Fans
On February 11, 2025, in London, Saim had an uncomfortable encounter with a fan. The fan asked for a picture, but Saim did not stop right away. After Saim offered to take more photos, the fan rudely declined. A video of the event went viral, with many fans defending Saim and criticizing the fan. They admired how Saim handled the situation calmly.
Fans also saw Saim interact with Pakistani actress Hania Amir at a charity event. She posed for a photo with him and wished him a speedy recovery from his injury.
Social Media
Saim Ayub has 640,000 followers on Instagram.
