Memories do not matter, tournament does: Ayub on Indo-Pak hype

Gearing up for his first match against India, Pakistan opener Saim Ayub downplayed the hype surrounding Sunday’s high-octane Asia Cup encounter, stressing that the team is focused on its process and the larger goal of winning the title rather than a single opponent.

“It is going to be a big match for the people. We do not see it like this as a team. We see that we follow the same process day by day in the next match,” Ayub said.

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The young left-hander also brushed aside questions about his personal memories of Indo-Pak encounters, choosing instead to keep his focus firmly on the present.

“Memories do not matter. This tournament matters the most. We are not just looking forward to the Pakistan-India match. We are looking forward to winning the tournament,” he said.

On team combination, Ayub said that the management will carefully evaluate the conditions before finalising their bowling attack for Sunday’s contest, weighing up whether to stick with a three-spinner strategy or include an extra pacer.

In their comprehensive 93-run win over Oman at the same venue on Friday, Pakistan banked on a spin-heavy approach. The trio of Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz shouldered the bulk of the bowling, while Ayub himself rolled his arm over for two overs, returning impressive figures of 2/8.

“First of all, we as a team trust each other, and it’s a long-term process where we keep backing one another so that the players remain confident and, in turn, everyone contributes to winning matches at different times,” Ayub said at the pre-match press conference.

“What’s in our hands is simply to give our best effort; as for the result, no one can predict who will perform on the day. Secondly, regarding the team combination, you can see that we try to assess the conditions. On match day, it all depends on how the pitch looks. If it appears drier, we feel spinners will play a key role, so we go with three spinners. If we think a fast bowler is essential, then the coaches decide accordingly,” he added.

The 23-year-old has endured a lean run recently, with scores of 0, 17, 11, and 0 in his last four innings, but he remains assured of the management’s support. “It’s in our hands to just make an effort. No one can tell who will perform at the end of the day. We all trust each other,” he said.