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On October 26, Pakistan pulled off a dramatic one-wicket win over England. While Pakistan have remained unbeaten in the ODI tri-series so far, their top order has been under the scanner, especially Saim Ayub. The young opener has registered scores of 7, 8 and 6. On October 27, he was released from the ODI squad. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that Ayub requested head coach Mike Hesson to let him return to domestic cricket and regain form; the timing of the decision is questionable.
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“After a conversation with the head coach, Saim requested a desire to return to domestic cricket to work on his batting form and regain confidence,” PCB said in a statement.
“Respecting Saim’s decision and appreciating his honest assessment of his current form, the team management and national selection committee have mutually agreed to accept this request.”
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Notably, Ayub won't have any domestic cricket to go back to until the end of the ODI tri-series. The only domestic cricket game is the final of the President's Trophy, starting on October 27. Ayub will not be participating in the final of the red-ball cricket tournament either. Ayub's domestic cricket appearance will come next month in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Ayub makes a mess of opportunities in ODIs and Tests
Earlier this year, Ayub was not part of the ODI and Test series squads against Bangladesh. He wasn't picked for Australia ODIs either.
He was playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026, where he scored a century for Jamaica Kingsmen. His CPL stint was cut short as he was called up for the third and final Test of the series in England. He bagged ducks in both innings and then rejoined the CPL side. He is not part of Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka next month either.
Ayub's slump in ODIs
The opener made his ODI debut in November 2024 and scored three centuries within a couple of months, including two against South Africa. He was touted as the next big thing. An injury ruled him out of action for months. Since his return, he hasn't scored a single ODI century in 11 innings.
Who’s Ayub replacement?
T20I captain Sahibzada Farhan has been recalled to the ODI squad. 30-year-old Farhan made his ODI debut against Bangladesh earlier this year on the back of performances in the T20 World Cup 2026. He has played six ODIs so far and scored 101 runs at an average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 75.93.
Farhan may get a chance in Pakistan’s dead rubber match against Sri Lanka. Pakistan have already made it to the final of the ODI tri-series after a win over England. Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Afridi hinted at changes in the top order in the post-match presentation.
"Yeah, there might be [changes in the top-order]. We need some runs from the top order. We need that attacking game in the powerplay, and I hope we will bring that energy to the team," the left-arm pacer said.
Pakistan’s squad for remainder of ODI tri-series
Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi(c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Ghazi Ghori, Maaz Sadaqat, Razaullah, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan.
Shadab, Rauf pull off a great heist
Pakistan's pace attack, led by Shaheen, bowled out England for 241 in 46.4 overs despite opener Ben Duckett's century. Australia were expected to chase down the total with ease at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. But England pacers struck early, and then Liam Dawson joined the party. Jamie Overton bagged three wickets, and Pakistan found themselves at 154/9 in 33.5 overs. The run rate was not an issue, but they had just one wicket in hand.
Shadab Khan repaid coach Hesson's trust. Shadab played a maiden over and then started to pace his innings. Rauf provided support from the other end while Shadab dealt in boundaries. He smashed sixes, and soon the partnership reached 50, with Rauf scoring just a single. He brought down the required run rate as well.
In the 45th over, Shadab hit Gus Atkinson for a six. He went for a cheeky shot but ended up getting trapped in front of the wickets. He thought he was gone, and so did the England players. He reviewed the decision with no hope, but the UltraEdge showed a spike, an inside edge.
There were a few altercations with Will Jacks but Shadab stayed focused on the job. In the 47th over, he reached his maiden ODI hundred. That over produced 15 runs, bringing the equation to three runs from three balls. On the first ball of the 48th over, Rauf hit Henry Crocombe for a boundary to finish the run chase.
The 89-run partnership between Shadab and Rauf is the highest for 10th wicket in a winning cause. They broke West Indies' Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts' record of an unbeaten 64-run stand against Pakistan in 1975.
Shadab breaks all-time ODI record
Shadab broke the all-time ODI record for the highest score by a batter at no.8. There have been only two batters who have scored an ODI century at this position. Ireland's Simi Singh did it first against South Africa in 2021. Then, Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored an unbeaten 100 against India in 2022. Shadab scored 113 runs from 96 balls, featuring 13 fours and five sixes.
Who will be Pakistan’s opponent in final?
England are yet to be ruled out of the ODI tri-series final contention despite three consecutive defeats. On October 27, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka. If Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by a good margin, it will open the doors for England. If England beat Sri Lanka on October 29, they will progress to the final if their net run rate (NRR) is higher than the island nation.
However, if a high-on-confidence Sri Lanka beat Pakistan, they will progress to the final and play a dead rubber against England. In their previous game, Sri Lanka had chased down 430 against England, the second-highest successful run chase. The final is scheduled to take place on October 31.
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