Courtesy: PCB/Google
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali vented out his anger against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for funding opener Saim Ayub’s treatment in London. Back in January, Ayub picked up an ankle injury during his team’s Test assignment in South Africa. The young opener was expected to be completely fit before the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and Dubai but in the end, he couldn’t make it to the squad which led him to England for rehabilitation. However, Hasan expressed his disagreement with PCB’s action and accused the board of biasedness.
The speedster said not every player gets the same privilege, citing his example. Appearing on ‘Ultra Edge’ podcast, Hasan launched a rancorous attack on PCB. He questioned the board’s attitude towards him and his injury.
"Saim Ayub is injured. He is the player of your team. Wasn't I a member of the team in 2020? If another player gets injured, won't he be a member of the team? Does he play for India?" Hasan questioned PCB on the podcast. "You're giving VVIP Treatment to Saim Ayub. If someone gets injured in the future, would you give him the same treatment? No, you won't. So, what have you done here? May God give him health and fitness, and may he win a lot of matches for Pakistan. But every rise has a fall. If Saim Ayub gets injured again, will they treat him the same? No, they won't," added the 30-year-old.
Saim Ayub received appreciation from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for his fine batting performances in ODI cricket. In Pakistan’s first 50-over series victory on Australia soil after 22 years, Ayub starred with his bat and ended up as the leading run-getter with 125 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 97.65. Pakistan clinched 2-1 victory against the Pat Cummins-led team in the white-ball series played down under.
Pakistan will begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against New Zealand in Karachi
Pakistan will start the Champions Trophy 2025 by hosting New Zealand at Karachi’s National Stadium. In Saim Ayub’s absence, veteran Babar Azam will be expected to deliver fine starts to his team along with Fakhar Zaman. In the recently-concluded tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, the 30-year-old scored 62 runs in three games at an average of 20.66.
However, Team Pakistan supporters will expect their star batter to forget his previous failures and serve the team efficiently in the marquee ODI event. Zaman, who was the Player of the Match in the last Champions Trophy final, will also look to be at his best in the colossal 50-over competition to be played for 19 days.
