Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has stated that young opener Saim Ayub is unlikely to play in the ICC Champions Trophy due to an ankle injury. Saim hurt his ankle during the second Test against South Africa earlier this month in Cape Town. Naqvi said he is closely following Saim’s recovery, which is currently happening in London.
Naqvi emphasized that they will not rush Saim back to play because he is an important player for the team’s future. “I’m in daily contact with his doctors. The plaster on his ankle will come off soon,” Naqvi explained. “However, it will take time for him to heal completely, and we won’t put his career at risk just for the Champions Trophy. We want him fully fit, no matter how long it takes.”
Pakistan has not yet announced its squad for the Champions Trophy, which will take place in Pakistan and Dubai starting February 19. The selectors are waiting to see if Saim will be ready. Before his injury, Saim was in excellent form, having scored two centuries in South Africa and was named in the ICC’s ODI Team of the Year.
In light of Saim’s injury, discarded opener Fakhar Zaman, who helped Pakistan win the last Champions Trophy in 2017 with a century against India, is set to replace him. Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq are also being considered to fill in for Abdullah Shafique.
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