Nasser Hussain slammed PCB for Saim Ayub's selection [Source- AFP]Pakistan sustained their lean patch on the England tour, as the home team exposed their vulnerability against the moving ball in the third Test at Edgbaston. After conceding the series with two horrendous defeats at Headingley and Lord's, the PCB made wholesale changes to the Pakistan squad for the final dead-rubber, adding seven fresh faces, including Saim Ayub, to the Babar Azam-led team. Known for his dynamic stroke-play at the top order, Saim Ayub became the first casualty from among the Pakistan batters in the Edgbaston Test in both innings, registering two successive ducks to conclude the tour on a rough note. The southpaw thus not only faced heavy backlash from the Pakistan cricket fans, but also compelled legendary England cricketer-turned-broadcaster Nasser Hussain to question his Test selection. Nasser Hussain grills PCB for Saim Ayub's Test selectionAfter Saim Ayub registered an embarrassing pair in the third Test against England, Nasser Hussain slammed the PCB for his Test comeback. While the Headingley encounter was forgettable for Pakistan, the visitors' misery only aggravated at Lord's, where England registered an emphatic 194-run victory to bag the series. Experienced opener Imam-ul-Haq grabbed the attention for the wrong reasons, as his refusal to bat following a suspicious calf injury ultimately led to his exclusion from the Pakistan Test squad for the Edgbaston Test. With Imam returning to Pakistan, Saim Ayub received a recall to the Test side amid his consistent run in the Caribbean Premier League. However, the southpaw found it incredibly challenging to counter the red cherry in England, with in-form seamer Ollie Robinson dismissing him for ducks early in the innings. Nasser Hussain criticised the PCB's decision to recall Saim Ayub for the Edgbaston Test, considering the batter hadn't played First-Class cricket for quite some time. "The truth is he shouldn't be here. He came from the CPL and hasn't played first-class cricket in some time. I don't know who thinks it's the right thing to fly someone over from foreign conditions, and think they'll be fine in these conditions against a Dukes ball and Ollie Robinson," Nasser Hussain said while speaking to the broadcasters SKY Sports. Also Read: Full List Of Changes In Pakistan Playing XI vs England From 2nd TestNotably, Saim Ayub last featured in a First-Class match back in October 2025, managing only 22 runs in two innings for Karachi Blues in their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy encounter against Multan. Since then, Saim has only participated in the shorter formats, and his failure at Edgbaston highlighted his lack of readiness to counter high-quality seam bowling in challenging English conditions. Saim Ayub's Test record in seam-friendly conditions justifies Nasser Hussain's argumentAlthough Saim Ayub hammered 127 runs, including a scintillating 58-ball 102, in three innings in the CPL 2026, the conditions in England are quite different from those in the Caribbean. For instance, the white Kookaburra ball doesn't move for a long time, while the Dukes ball swings prodigiously in the pacer-friendly English conditions. The T20 format doesn't really require technical proficiency, which is a must-have attribute for a batter to succeed in Test cricket. Saim Ayub has proven his credentials as a flamboyant stroke-player in white-ball cricket, but his credentials as a Test batter remain under scrutiny. Overall, Saim has managed only 364 runs across 16 Test innings, averaging 22.75. More importantly, he has played four of his seven Tests in Australia, England and South Africa, where the playing conditions are considered ideal for the fast bowlers. On the seam-friendly tracks of these three countries, Saim Ayub has registered 74 runs in six innings at a terrible average of 12.33. These numbers suggest his vulnerability against the moving ball, which Ollie Robinson effectively exploited in the Edgbaston Test. Edgbaston ducks could shut the door for Saim Ayub in TestsSaim Ayub played seven Tests in 2024 before the number reduced to only one the following year. He was dropped from the Pakistan Test setup after the South Africa tour, and the PCB gave him a golden opportunity to consolidate his Test spot amid the crisis in Pakistan cricket. However, since he couldn't repay the faith and recorded two consecutive ducks, Saim Ayub will likely find himself out of the Pakistan Test squad yet again. Also Read: Team India's Security Lapse Happens In Delhi Before Afghanistan T20Is
