Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam bestowed accolades on rising youngster Saim Ayub following his match-winning performance in the recently ended third ODI against South Africa.
Taking to Instagram, Babar shared a photo of the youthful opener, who hit his second century of the series, tagging it: ‘Cheetah,’ a nod to Ayub’s fast and reckless style of play. In the third match, Pakistan earned a 36-run victory, successfully defending their score of 308/9. Saim Ayub featured with a sparkling 101 off 94 balls, followed by half-centuries by Babar Azam (52) and Mohammad Rizwan (53).
Agha Salman hit a quickfire 48 to lead Pakistan to a competitive total. South Africa’s chase was led by Heinrich Klaasen, who hammered 81 off 43 balls, and Corbin Bosch, who added 40 runs.
However, the hosts stumbled and were bowled out for 271 in 42 overs. Sufiyan Muqeem led the bowling attack with scores of 4/52, while Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah picked up two wickets each.
Mohammad Hasnain and Saim Ayub both took one wicket. All-rounder Saim Ayub was selected Player of the Match in the last ODI and Player of the Series for his two hundred, 235 runs, and two wickets. Pakistan were the first team to thrash South Africa 3-0 and cement their place in cricket history.
