Saim Ayub Equals Record for Most T20I Ducks in a Calendar Year

The 2025 Asia Cup was supposed to be Saim Ayub’s crowning moment as the future of Pakistan cricket, but the young batter has endured a horrendous tournament, which continued during his team’s final Super Fours game against Bangladesh.

Coming in to bat at one-drop, Saim Ayub was dismissed for yet another duck after he spooned a catch to Rishad Hossain off Mahedi Hasan’s bowling.

With his latest score of zero, Saim entered the history books by equalling the record for the most ducks in a calendar year in T20Is. The left-hander, who had already failed to get off the mark in Pakistan’s Group A matches against Oman, India, and the UAE, was dismissed for a three-ball duck in this crucial encounter against Bangladesh.

Saim Ayub now has six ducks in just 20 T20I matches played so far in 2025, a tally that places him alongside Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava, who also recorded six ducks in 2024. No other batter in T20I history has more ducks in a single calendar year.

Most Ducks in a Calendar Year in T20Is:

Player Team Ducks Year Richard Ngarava Zimbabwe 6 2024 Saim Ayub Pakistan 6 2025 Blessing Muzarabani Zimbabwe 5 2024 Regis Chakabva Zimbabwe 5 2022 Sanju Samson India 5 2024 Hassan Nawaz Pakistan 5 2025

Saim also now holds the unfortunate distinction of being the second-most dismissed batter for zero in T20Is for Pakistan, surpassing Shahid Afridi. The 23-year-old now has nine ducks in 47 matches. Only Umar Akmal, with 10 ducks in 84 matches, remains ahead of him.

Pakistan’s Most Ducks in T20Is:

Player Ducks Matches Umar Akmal 10 84 Saim Ayub 9 47 Shahid Afridi 8 98 Kamran Akmal 7 58 Mohammad Hafeez 7 119 Babar Azam 7 128

Despite showing some promise with the ball in the Asia Cup, Saim’s continued failures with the bat have led to serious questions about his place in the team. With experienced players expected to return for the upcoming South Africa series, Ayub may soon find himself warming the bench.

Whether Saim Ayub can turn his career around will be crucial to Pakistan’s future success in the T20 format.

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