CPL 2023: Ian Bishop in awe of 'eye-catching' Saim Ayub

Renowned West Indies commentator Ian Bishop has praised emerging Pakistan batter Saim Ayub as he has lit up the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with his blistering batting.

The 21-year-old notched up his third consecutive fifty on Thursday after scoring 85 runs in 53 balls for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Jamaica Tallawahs. He smashed five fours and as many sixes during his blazing knock.

After Saim Ayub’s heroics with the bat, Guyana won the match by seven wickets while chasing a target of 153 runs.

Former pacer Bishop reacted to his performances on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying he is loving Saim Ayub. Bishop pointed out that his range of shots and ability to construct innings is eye-catching.

Overall, Ayub is the top run-scorer in CPL 2023 with 288 runs at an impressive average of 48 and a stunning strike-rate of 157.

He has also hit the joint-most sixes in CPL so far with 20 against his name, while also winning three Player of the Match awards in a row.

Ayub also scored fifties in the previous two matches against Barbados Royals (58 off 35) and Trinbago Knight Riders (62 off 43).

Guyana are currently top of the points table with six wins in seven matches.

It must be noted that Ayub has played eight T20I matches over the course of his brief career for Pakistan after making his debut in March this year against Afghanistan. He has scored 123 runs in seven innings with a highest score of 49, so far.