Saim Ayub shares his journey from Gulistan-e-Johar to Pakistan cricket team

Saim Ayub is the latest batting sensation in the Pakistani squad who plays as an opening batsman in the national cricket team.

Born May 24, 2002 in Karachi, Ayub has played for teams such as Peshawar Zalmi, Rangpur Riders and Sindh 2nd XI. In 2023, he was picked by Peshawar Zalmi to play in Pakistan’s national cricket league, Pakistan Super League (PSL). He is a top order left-handed batsman who rose to fame through his performance in the Eighth Edition of the PSL.

Recently, Ayub sat for a brief interview and shared with his fans how his cricketing career started and how proud he feels about representing Pakistan.

Answering a question from the interviewer, Ayub said he was the one in Gulistan-e-Johar who smashed the most street lights and other things while playing cricket in his flat and disturbed people’s sleep. He said that cricket taught him how to rise after falling.

He said that two of his elder brothers and his father used to play cricket with him at home. He said he was basically a right-handed person, but his brother changed his batting style unintentionally while teaching him how to hold the bat and take position as a batsman. He said that gradually his muscle memory developed as a left-handed batsman.

Ayub said that he does every task with his right hand except batting. He said that Fridays used to be his best days because he used to go to the cricket academy just on Fridays. He said he had a special fragrance of his academy days and the cricket kit in his mind. He said that his passion for cricket cost him his education.

Recalling the most memorable moments of his cricketing career so far, Ayub said he can’t forget the day when he opened the innings along with Babar Azam for Peshawar Zalmi against Lahore Qalandars in the PSL8 and scored a 50 in this match. He said it was the best moment of his life when he debuted for Pakistan’s national cricket team and got the official cricket kit and jerseys.