Saim Ayub believes 'aggression' crucial for relevance in modern-day cricket

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket's emerging talent Saim Ayub feels that adopting an aggressive approach in the game was crucial for relevance in modern-day international cricket.

The 20-year-old left-handed batter once again flaunted his power-hitting ability but fell short to complete 50 against New Zealand on Friday, in the first T20I of the ongoing home series in Lahore. He scored 47 off 28 before being run out.

The youngster came into bat when Pakistan was 30/2 in 4.2 overs. he joined Fakhar to add 79 off 42 for the third wicket partnership.

Talking to Geo News after the game, Saim said that it wasn’t easy to play against the new ball in the initial part of Pakistan’s innings as the tourists' bowlers did pretty well during the power play.

“My plan was to play the shots according to their merit, stay positive and play as long as possible,” he said.

“It is disappointing not to be able to complete the half-century but it is okay as I intended to help my team come out of a pressure situation,” he said.

The young cricket sensation, who usually bats as an opener, came to bat at number four in the first T20I. But, for him, batting position isn’t an issue.

“The only difference for me is the difference of new and old ball, that’s it, and [it] can be overcome sometimes as I can come to bat even inside power play overs,” he said.

Saim said that he can play at any position for the team’s requirement and can plan according to any number and execute it.

Replying to a question, he said that it is important to adopt the aggressive style of batting in modern-day cricket.

“I think it is important for one to play aggressive cricket if he wants to stay relevant in this era. If you look at the top teams around the world, they play aggressive cricket as well,” he said.

Saim said that playing alongside Babar Azam in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) eighth season has helped him learn a lot about batting.

“Batting is something which anyone can do, he [Babar] taught me how to strategise my batting,” Saim said.

“You know, one can still make runs despite not putting much effort or planning but what Babar taught me was how to read the game, how to understand the situation and how to plan your innings, which was very helpful,” said the young batter.

When asked about his goals in the series, Saim said that he wants Pakistan to win the series 5-0 and to contribute his runs to the winning cause for the team.