Ayub, 21, who was playing his ninth T20I for Pakistan, showed his attacking intent from the word as he smashed the New Zealand bowlers to all corners of Eden Park
Pakistan cricket team's Saim Ayub announced himself in the series in his trademark style as the southpaw made his T20 debut against New Zealand in the first T20I at Eden Park in Auckland. Ayub made a swasbuckling 27 off 8 deliveries that included two fours and three maximums. (Streaming | Scorecard | Cricket News)
Ayub, 21, who was playing his ninth T20I for Pakistan, showed his attacking intent from the word go. Ayub, who has replaced former skipper Babar Azam in the opening slot, smashed Tim Southee and Matt Henry to all corners of Eden Park.
Ayub's trademark 'no-look' shot off Henry even wowed the spectators inside the stadium. It's not the first time the 21-year-old has played this shot. In the Pakistan Super League, Ayub smashed a 33-ball fifty for the Peshawar Zalmi that included his no-look shot off Abbas Afridi.
However, his blistering innings was cut short as the southpaw was run out by some brilliant piece of fielding by pacer Adam Milne. The Kiwi pacer drew a direct hit as Ayub was found short of his crease and had to walk back to the pavillion.
Here's how the internet reacted to Saim Ayub's no-look shot:
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell's 27-ball 61 steered the home team towards a mammoth 226 for the loss of eight wickets.
Contributions from skipper Kane Williamson (57), Finn Allen (35) and Mark Chapman (26) also proved handy as the home team registered their highest-ever T20I total against the Men In Green.