Young opening batter Saim Ayub shared his excitement while sharing Pakistan's kit with his name on it.
Taking to Instagram, Saim wrote a heartfelt message as the latter is likely to make his T20I debut against Afghanistan tomorrow in Sharjah.
"I wanted you from the day one. I wanted to do everything to have you , now I've earned you so I promise I'll do everything to never let you down Pakistan. Keep supporting and Remembering in your prayers in this Holy month of Ramadan," he wrote.
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Saim earned maiden call in Pakistan team after his excellent performance for Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8. With Babar Azam and Rizwan resting during Afghanistan series, Saim alongside Mohammad Haris is most likely to open national team's batting.
The left-handed batter opened innings alongside skipper Babar for Zalmi in recently concluded PSL 8. His stylish batting and consistency made him a solid candidate for the Pakistan team's call-up. He scored 341 runs in 12 matches in the tournament.
In an interview, Shadab Khan, Pakistan's captain for Afghanistan T20I series, highly rated Saim.
"I think Saim is an exceptional talent. After a very long time, we have got a player like him who we can say is as stylish and good as Babar and Abdullah," lauded Shadab.
"The way he [Saim] plays, he is a player of Babar's category. Players like them are too good to watch even when they score runs against your team. They are too stylish batters," he added.
Pakistan's T20I Squad against Afghanistan
Shadab Khan (c), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan
Reserved players: Abrar Ahmed, Haseebullah, Usama Mir
Schedule
Mar 24 - First T20I - Sharjah
Mar 26 - Second T20I - Sharjah
Mar 27 - Third T20I - Sharjah