Legendary Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has given extensive information about Saim Ayub’s availability for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Ayub got injured during Pakistan’s Test series against South Africa and has been sidelined ever since.
His injury came at the wrong time when Pakistan was preparing for the Champions Trophy. Ayub was considered a vital player for the host nation given his recent form. In a short time, the young man made a name for himself as a key player of his team in all formats.
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Saim Ayub set to miss Champions Trophy 2025 – Shahid Afridi
Speaking in a podcast on Samaa News, Shahid Afridi confirmed that Saim Ayub will not be able to recover in time for Champions Trophy 2025. Afridi revealed a conversation with the youngster in which the latter asked for three more weeks before he can begin his rehabilitation.
“I spoke to Saim (Ayub) last night to ask him about his health, so I called him. He told me that he needs 3 weeks and after that his rehabilitation will begin. I advised him not to do anything in a hurry,” he said. Afridi.
“If you have even a small problem and you start playing at that time, it can become bigger. So I advised him to recover as he is very young and will play a lot of cricket in the future,” he added. .
🚨 SHAHID AFRIDI CONFIRMS THAT SAIM AYUB WILL MISS THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY
Afridi told Samaa News: “I spoke to Saim Ayub last night, he told me he needs 3 weeks and after that his rehabilitation will start. Pakistan will feel Saim’s absence in CT 25 as we don’t have backups ready” 🇵🇰💔💔 pic.twitter.com/aA5Orb8JCm
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 16, 2025
“Pakistan will feel Saim Ayub’s absence” – Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi further termed Saim Ayub’s unavailability as a big loss for Pakistan ahead of a big tournament like the Champions Trophy. He believes the lack of strength from the bench will hurt Pakistan as they don’t have a back for the youngster.
“The form Saim (Ayub) is in, Pakistan will feel his absence (in the Champions Trophy) because we don’t have reserves ready. I always talk about bench strength that we shouldn’t be bothered even if we don’t have Shaheen (Afridi), Babar (Azam) or (Mohammad) Rizwan,” Afridi said.
“We have several winners in the team. So every player has to do their part and play as a team for Pakistan to win,” the all-rounder claimed.
Saim Ayub’s recent numbers in ODIs
Saim Ayub has had a fantastic start to his international career and is already seen as the future of Pakistan batting. While he has been impressive in all formats, his record in ODIs stands out the most which is why he will be missed in the Champions Trophy.
He recently scored 235 runs in three ODIs against South Africa at an average of 78.33 and a strike rate of 96.31 to help Pakistan win a historic series on foreign soil. He also emerged as the second highest goalscorer in the series behind Heinrich Klaasen.
