Former England captain and commentator Nasser Hussain has questioned the logic behind selecting Saim Ayub for the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham, which Pakistan lost by eight wickets.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Hussain asserted that Ayub shouldn’t have been part of the Test XI, as he came straight from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) without having focused much on first-class cricket in recent times.
“The truth is he (Ayub) 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, playing a completely different format, and think they’re going to be fine in these conditions against a Dukes ball, against Ollie Robinson and England’s bowling attack,” Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports.
“It is just a sort of disrespect and disregard for Test match cricket. Test match cricket, as any cricketer will tell you, is the toughest format. Batting at the top of the order in England is the toughest task, and you just feel you can fly someone in from some part of the world and go, ‘Good luck’,” he added.
Citing the example of former Indian opener Virender Sehwag from India’s tour of England in 2011, Hussain revealed an identical detail. Interestingly, Sehwag was drafted into the XI midway through the England tour and recorded a pair, just like Saim Ayub.
“Virender Sehwag tried it on this ground, if you remember… they flew him in. Virender Sehwag got a pair, and that’s Virender Sehwag, who’s a better, more experienced player than Saim,” Hussain said.
“So a bit of responsibility goes to the lad for the shot he played. But also, whoever thought that was a seriously good decision and that he was going to go okay this week?” he concluded.
