Saim Ayub’s return to Pakistan’s Test team turned into a nightmare as the young opener failed to score in either inning in the third and final against England at Edgbaston. Saim Ayub was dismissed for a 10-ball duck in the first innings and then fell for an 11-ball golden duck in the second innings.

Ayub was brought into the side for the third and final Test at Edgbaston after coming directly from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026. But he failed to make any impact. England pacer Ollie Robinson dismissed Ayub in both innings, raising serious questions over PCB's selection call. Earlier, Rashid Latif takes fresh aim at Mike Hesson, raises concerns over IPL connection.

Nasser Hussain slams Pakistan over Saim Ayub selection

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and team management’s Saim Ayub move. He felt Ayub should not have been brought into the Test side after playing T20 cricket in the CPL 2026 and spending a long period away from first-class cricket.

Nasser Hussain said during a post-day show on Sky Sports, "The truth is he shouldn't be here. He came from the CPL and hasn't played first-class cricket in some time. I don't know who thinks it's the right thing to fly someone over from foreign conditions, playing a completely different format, and think they're going to be fine in these conditions against a Dukes ball, against Ollie Robinson, and against England's bowling attack.”

Nasser Hussain slams PCB’s approach to Test cricket after Saim Ayub selection

Hussain also questioned the PCB’s recent selection approach. He felt the decision showed disrespect to Test cricket, especially because opening the batting in England is one of the toughest jobs in the game.

The former England captain has further noted that facing a Duke's ball against Robinson and England’s attack without enough match practice was always going to be a huge challenge. Amid this, Razaullah names Waqar Younis as inspiration, opens up on 8 siblings.

He added, “It is just a sort of disrespect and disregard for Test match cricket. Test match cricket, as any cricketer will tell you, is the toughest format. Batting at the top of the order in England is the toughest task, and you just feel you can fly someone in from some part of the world and go, Good luck.”

Nasser Hussain recalls Virender Sehwag’s Edgbaston disaster while criticising Saim Ayub call

The former England captain also recalled India’s experience with Virender Sehwag at the same ground. Sehwag was once flown into England without enough preparation and ended up scoring a pair. Hussain pointed out that Sehwag was far more experienced than Ayub, so Pakistan’s decision made it even more difficult to understand for him.

However, Hussain admitted that Ayub was also responsible for the shots he played but put more blame on the people who decided to bring him into the team without proper preparation.

Hussain further shared, “Virender Sehwag tried it on this ground, if you remember... they flew him in. Virender Sehwag got a pair, and that's Virender Sehwag, who's a better, more experienced player than Saim. So, a bit of responsibility goes to the lad for the shot he played. But also, whoever thought that was a seriously good decision and that he was going to go okay this week?”

Nasser Hussain discusses Pakistan's handling of Saim Ayub and whether it was the right decision to select the opener 🇵🇰🗣️ pic.twitter.com/PMZDnRjpMY

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