Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif has come out in support of young opener Saim Ayub, who is enduring a horror run with the bat in the ongoing Asia Cup. Ayub has now registered three consecutive ducks—against Oman, India, and most recently, hosts UAE—raising serious questions over Pakistan’s fragile top order.

Latif, however, urged patience and defended the youngster, pointing out that despite his batting failures, Ayub has been making valuable contributions with the ball. Speaking on a YouTube show, Latif used a quirky analogy to explain Ayub’s bad patch: “Kabhi kabaar aisa hota hai, banda oont pad baitha hai aur kutta kaat jaata hai, uske saath yahi ho raha hai” (Sometimes, no matter what you do, everything seems to go wrong).

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Rashid Latif noted that Ayub has been unlucky, often getting caught off different types of shots. “Bura time aata hai sabka. Yeh bowling se apne team mein khel raha hai,” he added, highlighting how Ayub’s right-arm spin is currently keeping him in the playing XI.

Rashid Latif on Saim Ayub :Aap oonth pe baithay hon kutta phir bhi kaat leta hai 🤣🤣
Caught behind pic.twitter.com/CB76L6u1Gc

— iffi Raza (@Rizzvi73) September 17, 2025

The former cricketer further backed the 22-year-old to come good with the bat eventually. “Badhe match mein kisi mein fodhega. Ya to phoot jayega ya fod dega,” Latif remarked, suggesting Ayub will either fail again or produce a blazing knock in a crucial game.

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So far, Ayub has been more successful with the ball than the bat, picking up six wickets in three matches. His figures include 2/8 against Oman, 3/35 against India, and 1/18 against the UAE, where he bowled Muhammad Zohaib with a sharp delivery that stayed low.

With Pakistan’s batting order under scrutiny, the team management will hope that Ayub’s breakthrough innings come sooner rather than later.