Saim Ayub released from Pakistan’s one-day international squad on Monday, after the opener asked to return to domestic cricket to work on his batting form. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the team management and the national selection committee agreed to his request.
Sahibzada Farhan will replace Saim for the rest of the ongoing tri-series, which also features England and Sri Lanka. Pakistan have already reached the final after winning their first three matches, and they play Sri Lanka in Lahore on Tuesday, October 27.
The PCB said Saim spoke to head coach Mike Hesson before making his request. In its statement, the board said it respected his decision and appreciated what it called his honest assessment of his current form. The statement did not set out how long Saim will play domestic cricket, and it gave no date for a return to the national side.
Saim Ayub released after 21 runs in three matches
Saim scored 21 runs in three innings in the tri-series. He made seven against Sri Lanka in the opening match, then eight and six in the two matches against England. In the most recent match, against England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, debutant Henry Crocombe dismissed him for six.
That match still ended in a famous Pakistan win. Pakistan were 154 for nine in the chase before Shadab Khan struck an unbeaten 113 and shared an 89-run last-wicket stand with Haris Rauf. Pakistan won by one wicket with 17 balls left, and the result sealed their place in the final.
Saim’s early exit was part of a top-order collapse in that game. Fakhar Zaman made 10, Babar Azam made 10, and Pakistan lost three wickets for 31 runs inside seven overs. The middle order also struggled, and only the late stand saved the chase.
Why Farhan gets the call now
Farhan is a right-handed opener, and he recently captained Pakistan in the three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka. That recent leadership role means he arrives in the squad with current international experience, even though the format changes now.
The change also fits the timing of the series. Pakistan have already qualified for the final, so the match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday gives the team room to test a new opening option without risking a place in the title match. The final is scheduled for October 31 in Lahore.
In addition, the move follows another squad change on Sunday. The PCB released left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem to play domestic cricket, citing conditions at Gaddafi Stadium, and added left-handed batter Maaz Sadaqat as cover for players carrying minor fitness concerns.
What domestic cricket can offer Saim
Domestic cricket gives a batter something a tournament squad often cannot: regular innings, time at the crease, and room to fix a technical problem without the pressure of a result the next day. Saim asked for that room himself, and the PCB accepted the request rather than dropping him in a public dispute.
That distinction matters for his future. A player who asks for time to rebuild form keeps control of the story, and a board that accepts the request avoids turning a form slump into a selection row. However, the path back still runs through runs, and domestic scores will be the clearest answer when selectors next pick a squad.
For Pakistan, the short-term question is simpler: the team needs a stable opening pair for the final, and the Sri Lanka match is the last chance to try one. Shaheen Shah Afridi passed 150 one-day wickets earlier in this period, and the attack has kept Pakistan in matches even when the top order has failed. However, a final will test the batting as well.
What happens next
Pakistan face Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday, October 27, the fifth game of the seven-match tri-series. Pakistan will then play the final on October 31, also in Lahore.
Saim, meanwhile, returns to domestic cricket. No return date has been announced, and any recall will depend on form and on the needs of the next squad.
