DUBAI — Pakistan opener Saim Ayub found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons on Tuesday as he joined Shahid Afridi in an unwanted batting record. The left-hander was dismissed for a duck against the UAE, marking his third consecutive scoreless outing in T20 Internationals.
Facing Junaid Siddique, Saim lasted just five deliveries before edging out without troubling the scorers. This latest dismissal brought his tally of T20I ducks to eight in 44 innings, equaling Afridi’s mark, though the former captain reached the figure in 98 matches.
The all-time leader remains Umar Akmal, who has walked back without scoring 10 times in 84 games. Behind him are Afridi and now Saim with eight each, followed by Kamran Akmal (seven ducks in 58 matches). Senior players like Mohammad Hafeez and current captain Babar Azam also feature in the list, both having registered seven zeroes apiece in their careers.
While Afridi’s tally stretched over a long career known for explosive batting, Saim’s numbers have raised concerns about his consistency at the top of the order, especially given Pakistan’s search for a stable T20 opening pair.
