SA vs Pak 2024 – Pakistan opener Saim Ayub ruled out of Cape Town Test after suffering ankle injury

Ayub had to be stretchered off the pitch in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton edged a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub off on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal pulled it back in as Ayub stood poised to be the relay fielder, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He went down immediately and appeared in anguish holding the lower part of his leg as the physio rushed on.

Despite prolonged treatment outside the boundary line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle, and appeared to be in tears as he was placed on to a stretcher and taken off, with the injury casting a pall over proceedings for Pakistan. Things only got worse a few overs later when his replacement, Abdullah Shafique, put down a simple chance Aiden Markram at cover. It would not cost Pakistan much, though, with Markram falling to Khurram Shahzad two overs later.

Ayub was sent to hospital soon after the incident, and shortly after the close of play, the PCB confirmed he would play no further part in the contest. “Saim underwent X-rays and MRI tests this afternoon,” the statement read. “The reports have been sent to specialists in London for further advice on the treatment and time away from competitive cricket.”

He is one of the few all-format regulars for Pakistan, and was expected to be a key figure for the side in the upcoming Champions Trophy that Pakistan will host, beginning in February. That participation may now be in serious doubt.

“It’s a big blow, the kind of form he’s in,” Salman Agha, Ayub’s team-mate, said at the close of play. “He would have been a great asset on this wicket. I wish him well and hopefully he’ll be better soon.”