Did Pakistan Influence ICC to Make Saim Ayub a Top All-Rounder?
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With the latest update in the ICC rankings, Saim Ayub is now ranked as the Number One All-rounder in the T20I format. This raises some serious questions about the ICC's biases, as Ayub failed to perform in the Asia Cup.
With the latest update in the ICC rankings, Saim Ayub is now ranked as the Number One All-rounder in the T20I format. This raises some serious questions about the ICC's biases, as Ayub failed to perform in the Asia Cup.
Fans all around the world have always doubted the ICC rankings. But the latest update has made their doubts increase, especially when taking a look at the T20I format. Hardik Pandya, who was the number 1 T20I All-rounder earlier, .
This might be normal, and fans would think that someone better would have replaced him. However, the one who replaced him was Saim Ayub, the Pakistani all-rounder. Ayub didn't perform well for the team throughout the Asia Cup 2025, but still taking the top spot raises questions about the ICC.
In the Asia Cup 2025, Saim Ayub played as a primary all-rounder for the Pakistan cricket team. Still, t and registered four ducks in the seven games he played. This has now raised some serious questions, even about his spot in the team for the upcoming matches.
Going for ducks in the Group stages showcased the downfall he experienced in the tournament. Batting in all seven games, Saim Ayub scored 37 runs at an average of just 5.28 runs per innings. Moreover, his strike rate was far below that of even the bowlers of the team, as he held a strike rate of 97.36.
Even Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan's premium fast bowler, had scored more runs than Ayub in the tournament. While he batted in just 5 innings, Afridi scored 83 runs at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of 176.59. If the stats are seen in the ICC rankings, even Shaheen Shah Afridi would have deserved the top spot in the same instead of Ayub.
Saim Ayub in Asia Cup 2025 (Bowling):
While he performed a bit well with the ball, his performances with the bat have not been great. In this case, Ayub gaining the number one rankings in the T20I format makes things even more questionable for the ICC. Even Shaheen Shah Afridi took more wickets than Ayub in the tournament, but he isn't even in the top ten.
Before the latest ICC rankings, Hardik Pandya held the top spot last week. But now, he has been dropped to the second spot, behind Saim Ayub. The difference between their points remains at 8, but the reason behind Pandya dropping down to number two remains unclear.
Hardik Pandya finished the Asia Cup 2025 with 4 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 30. Yes, his stats with the ball have not been commanding, but Pandya did more with the bat and his fielding. Hardik batted for the Indian team in just 4 Innings, which is three fewer than Saim Ayub in the same tournament.
Still, at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 120. Hardik Pandya had recorded the high score of 38 runs in the Asia Cup 2025, which is still one run higher than what Ayub scored in total throughout the tournament. Along with that, in the match between India and Pakistan in the Group stages, Pandya took the wicket of Ayub, dismissing him for a duck.
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