Pakistan have suffered a huge blow ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 at home next month as opener Saim Ayub has been ruled out of competitive cricket for six weeks. Pakistan’s young all-format opener, Saim Ayub is in serious doubt for the ICC Champions Trophy due to an ankle injury that he sustained during the ongoing second Test against South Africa at Newlands.
The 22-year-old Saim had hurt his ankle while fielding on the boundary on the first day of the second Test against South Africa on Friday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday that MRIs and other tests were carried out on him and the doctors have advised Saim six weeks rest.
“He has a right ankle fracture injury which will take at least six weeks to heal,” a board official said.
Saim’s fractured ankle has been put in an Ankle Medical Moon Boot as part of his rehabilitation process.
Due to the seriousness of the injury, the opener is also certain to miss the two-Test series at home against the West Indies later this month and also the tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand in February before the Champions Trophy, starting across Pakistan and Dubai from February 19.
Saim could be replaced by discarded opener Imam-ul-Haq for the Tests and Fakhar Zaman for the ODIs.
The left-hander has had a successful tour of Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa and scored three hundreds on those tours including two in the 3-0 whitewash over South Africa in the ODI series.