Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman, who is among the most experienced players in the Asia Cup 2025 squad, has lauded his teammate and current Pakistan opener Saim Ayub for his batting brilliance and has tagged him as an ‘updated version’ of Babar Azam.
Ahead of the much-awaited India vs Pakistan clash at the iconic Dubai International Stadium, the same venue where the Indians handed the hosts, Pakistan, a humiliating defeat in the ICC Champions Trophy game, former as well as current players have made some audacious claims.
While most comments were based on the rivalry between the two nations, the latest bragging came from Pakistani batter Fakhar Zaman as he elevated the young player’s confidence by comparing him with one of the greatest modern players from the nation, Babar Azam.
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Fakhar Zaman has rated Saim Ayub as the ‘updated version’ of Babar Azam
Fakhar Zaman is undoubtedly one of those very few players who have played lots of cricket alongside Babar Azam and is now playing alongside the likes of next-generation stars like Saim Ayub. This is because of the batter’s ability to hit the long ball, hence making him a fit in every aspect of the game.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were both dropped from the Pakistan national squad for the Asia Cup 2025, as a result of which there was an immense outburst on social media platforms.
Now, Fakhar Zaman has come forward to praise young Ayub’s calibre as a batter and has claimed that he is the updated version of snubbed former skipper Babar Azam during a video appearance on the social media handle of the ACC.
“Someone asked me in Lahore and I told him that he is Babar Azam’s updated version,” Fakhar said.
“He is a very different player and I think he has not yet shown 80 per cent of himself to the world,” he added.
Mike Hesson has also shown immense faith in the Pakistani youngster
The current Pakistan coach, Mike Hesson, has been stubborn in not reasoning with the press over the snub of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan; however, he has also shown immense faith in the modern star Saim Ayub.
“Look, Saim is a key player for us and we know that if Saim scores runs, we generally win,” Hesson stated.
“It’s not so much contributions, it’s a matter of if it’s your day, you win and Saim is certainly one of those players,” he concluded.
Pakistan kick off Asia Cup 2025 in commanding style
Pakistan, just like India, has made a strong start to its Asia Cup campaign. Having played in just the first game, the batters scored 160 runs with the help of Muhammad Haris’ commanding half-century.
The bowlers did a remarkable job, as all of them contributed significantly to their win with several wickets in no time. Oman has been bowled out for just 67 runs, 10 more than the UAE’s 57 against India.
Pakistan won the match by a huge 93-run margin and has managed to take a huge lead of 4.650 in the points table, which means just winning or even a draw against the UAE in their third game could seal them a spot in the Super 4, keeping the result of the India vs Pakistan match aside.
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