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Saim Ayub (L) and Prithvi Shaw (R) (Source: AFP/X)
Resembling the pathway of the Indian batter Prithvi Shaw, young Pakistan batter Saim Ayub is struggling with a decline after a promising start to his career just a few years back. Notably, Saim Ayub was considered one of the big things for Pakistan cricket in the future, but the things have taken a drastic turn for him.
Saim’s downfall after an amazing start of the international career has given the ‘Prithvi Shaw’ deja vu for the cricket fans in India and Pakistan. Hence, this article examines how Saim Ayub, once a promising talent for Pakistan, has fallen on the downward path.
The Saim Ayub-Prithvi Shaw congruency: Brilliant Beginnings, Big Hopes
Starting with India’s U19 World Cup-winning captain in 2018, Prithvi Shaw, he earned the Test cap for India later the same year. Shaw showed great promise with the bat on his debut in the two-match home Test series against West Indies.
Shaw achieved one of the rare feats, hitting an amazing century in his debut appearance in the longest format of the game. He scored 134 runs in the first innings of the first Test against the Caribbean side.
Later in the second game, he played a quick knock of 70 runs off just 53 balls, followed by an unbeaten 33-run knock in the second innings. But the next six innings of his Test career also happened to be the last six innings for him, including only one half-century, as he struggled with a serious dip in batting form.
Similarly, the young Pakistan batter, Saim Ayub, got a chance to represent his national side in Tests in 2024 during the Test series against Australia in Australia. After falling for an unfortunate two-ball duck, Saim Ayub displayed a decent run of form with the bat in his next four Test innings, hitting two half-centuries.
But Saim also failed to continue with the same form as he has scored only one half-century in the last nine Test innings of his career. The brilliant starts of Prithvi Shaw and Saim in the Tests also instilled hope in the hearts of Indian and Pakistani cricket fans that they had the two future cricketing icons.
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Promising white-ball careers fell prey to controversies and discipline issues
Not only Test cricket, but Prithvi Shaw and Saim Ayub also had the commendable start to their ODI careers. Shaw scored 189 runs in six innings, at a decent batting average of 31.50 and a strike rate of 113.86.
Similarly, Saim also had an amazing start in the 50-over format, scoring 280 runs in his first six ODI innings at an average of 56.00, including an unbeaten century.
But controversy and discipline issues severely dented two bright cricketing careers, putting them on the brink of getting lost in the oblivion.
The timeline of controveries for both youngsters
In the case of Prithvi Shaw, he started being in the headlines for all negative reasons in 2019, just a year after his Test debut. In 2019, the then-19-year-old young batter was suspended by the BCCI for eight months after he tested positive for consuming Terbutaline, a prohibited substance for the sportsmen.
Later in 2023, he engaged in a public brawl with influencer Sapna Gill; the brawl was reported to be over selfies. It further went to the extent of a violent altercation, followed by police complaints from both sides.
Just a year after this incident, Prithvi Shaw was found reluctant in training and getting overweight at the age of just 25. It also raised serious questions about his commitment towards fitness and discipline. Notably, he had also been questioned about his attitude during training, after Ricky Ponting reportedly expressed his frustration with the young batter.
In the ‘Saim Ayub’ scenario, he has also faced questions on his commitment and priorities as a professional cricketer. It all happened when PCB sent him to London for rehabilitation after an ankle fracture he sustained during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January 2025.
Furthermore, the Pakistan cricket fans slammed the young southpaw for getting distracted during his rehabilitation period. The fans questioned Saim Ayub for meeting and spending time with a Pakistani model, Kashaf Ali, in London instead of focusing on his injury treatment and rehabilitation.
What could save Saim Ayub from being Prithvi Shaw 2.0?
Amidst a poor run of form with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, the young Pakistan opener has been treated more like an all-rounder instead of an out-and-out opening batter. He has scored just 70 runs in five innings at a poor batting average of just 14.00 and a strike rate of 137.25.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is still backing the youngster, but the days are not too far when he could be axed from the national side across formats. So, it’s high time for the 23-year-old to play domestic cricket and focus a bit more on his cricket.
Considering the years of cricket left in Saim Ayub’s career, he still has a chance to bounce back by working on the things in his ‘game’ that are missing. It seems to be the only way for him to save himself from being another classic case of a ‘promising start, miserable end’.
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