The young batter has been ruled out due to injury, posing a challenge for the defending champions as they prepare for the marquee tournament.
New Delhi: Former cricketer Ricky Ponting commented on the exclusion of Pakistan batter Saim Ayub from the Champions Trophy 2025 squad, stating that the 22-year-old’s absence will create a significant gap for the team. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday that Ayub would not be part of the upcoming tournament, which is set to take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. According to the ICC, Saim Ayub will be sidelined for the next 10 weeks as he continues to recover from an injury sustained in England.
Ayub will be absent from Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy defense on home soil, but he has not been excluded from the white-ball tour to New Zealand scheduled for March.
During The ICC Review, Ponting expressed admiration for Ayub, referring to him as a “high-quality” cricketer.
“Saim Ayub is a high-quality player, and his absence is a massive gap to fill,” Ponting was quoted by ICC as saying.
Ayub debuted in One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2024 against Australia. Since then, he has participated in nine 50-over matches, accumulating a total of 515 runs with a strike rate of 105.53. The emerging batsman scored three centuries and one half-century during this period.
The ex-Australian cricketer praised Pakistan’s bowling lineup, noting that Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have performed exceptionally well in the current ODI Tri Series.
“But Pakistan’s fast bowling brigade is very, very good. Led by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who’ve been terrific in recent series, they have the pace and skill to trouble any batting line-up. Babar has been a bit up and down in recent years, but if he and Rizwan can bring their A-games, that’s when Pakistan becomes incredibly dangerous,” he added.
Pakistan was the champion of the most recent Champions Trophy, which took place in 2017. In 2025, Pakistan will co-host the tournament with the UAE.
Mohammad Rizwan will captain the team, a position he has held since Babar Azam resigned following the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. This marks the first 50-over ICC tournament since that event.
Pakistan will begin their journey in the Champions Trophy 2025 on February 19, facing New Zealand in Karachi. Their second match in the group stage is scheduled against India in Dubai on February 23. The final group match for the team, led by Rizwan, will take place in Rawalpindi against Bangladesh.
