Photo: Collected
Saim Ayub, who has been struggling for runs, has himself stepped away from the home tri-nation ODI series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the request to work on his batting form came to the board from the batter himself.
Saim has not been finding runs recently. He failed to reach double figures in any of the series’ three ODIs. The board said that after talking to the head coach, he expressed his wish to return to domestic cricket to sort out his batting and regain his confidence.
The PCB statement said that, respecting Saim’s decision and valuing his honest assessment of his own form, the team management and the national selection committee jointly accepted the request. Sahibzada Farhan has been called up in his place for the rest of the series. Farhan, the new T20 captain, was not in the original squad for the tri-series.
Pakistan, however, have already sealed their place in the final. The ticket came with an incredible win against England in their third match. Having won all three of their matches, the hosts are so far the only unbeaten team in the tournament.
Shadab Khan was the hero of that dramatic win against England at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. He scored his maiden career century to help the team chase down the 242-run target. During his unbeaten 113 off 96 balls, he put on an unbroken 89-run stand for the last wicket with Haris Rauf (7). That gave Pakistan a one-wicket win in the 48th over.
In the series opener at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan made 305 against Sri Lanka and won by 37 runs. A few days later at the same ground, they scored 302 for 9 against England and won by 87 runs.
Background
According to a 16 October report by ARY News, the tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka runs from 18 to 31 October, with the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on 31 October.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: ARY News, 16 October 2026
