Saim Ayub scripts unwanted records with golden duck vs India
What's the story
Saim Ayub, the young Pakistani opener, was dismissed for a golden duck in the Asia Cup 2025 clash against India. The incident took place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 14. As per ESPNcricinfo, this is only the second time a Pakistani opener has been dismissed for a duck against India in T20Is, the first being Babar Azam. Meanwhile, this was Ayub's second successive duck in the tourney and seventh overall in T20Is. Here are further details.
Dismissal details
Hardik Pandya dismisses Ayub on 1st legal ball
Ayub was dismissed on the first legal ball of the match by Hardik Pandya. The Indian bowler started with an inswinger down the leg side, followed by an outswinger. Ayub went after it and ended up giving a simple catch to Jasprit Bumrah at point. This was a disappointing start for Ayub, who had hoped to make an impact in this high-profile match.
Historical comparison
Babar Azam was dismissed for a golden duck in 2022
As mentioned, Ayub became the second Pakistan opener with a T20I duck against India. He joined Babar, who also bagged a golden duck at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne, although the manner of dismissal was different. Back then, Babar was trapped lbw by left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh off his first ball. Notably, both Babar and Mohammad Rizwan are not part of the current Pakistan squad.
Performance review
Back-to-back golden ducks for Ayub
Ayub has been struggling with his form lately, having suffered back-to-back golden ducks. His last outing was against Oman, where he was dismissed for a golden duck as well. According to ESPNcricinfo, he now has seven ducks across 41 T20I innings, out of which five have come while opening the innings. Only Babar (6) has more T20I ducks as a designated Pakistan opener. Ayub shares the second spot with Kamran Akmal.
Information
Ayub only behind these names
In the overall list, Ayub is only behind Umar Akmal (10) and Shahid Afridi (8) in terms of T20I ducks for the Men in Green. Babar, Kamran, and Mohammad Hafeez share the third spot with Ayub, having bagged seven scores of 0. Coming to his numbers in the format, Ayub has scored 816 runs from 43 T20Is at an average of 20.92 with a top score of 98 not out against South Africa (50s: 4, SR: 136).
Unwanted record
Poor numbers as openers
728 of Ayub's T20I runs have come across 36 innings as a designated opener. His average of 21.41 is the worst among batters, who have opened at least 30 times for Pakistan in T20Is. The southpaw is closely followed by Hafeez (21.62). Meanwhile, Ayub now owns 10 ducks across 115 matches in the 20-over format. His tally includes 2,789 runs at an average of 25.58 and a strike rate of 140.78 (50s: 18).
Summary
India won by seven wickets
India convincingly went on to beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the game. The match was highlighted by a brilliant display of spin bowling from Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who shared five wickets and left the Pakistani batting order in tatters. While Sahibzada Farhan (40) top-scored for Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi's brilliant 16-ball 33* took the team's total to 127/9. The Men in Blue successfully chased down the target with seven wickets and 4.1 overs to spare.