‘Pakistan’s Suryakumar Yadav’: Social Media Reacts To Saim Ayub’s Failed Attempt To Complete A Catch

A Pakistani fielder got an opportunity to pull off a Suryakumar Yadav-like effort at the boundary line during a Champions One-Day Cup match. The incident unfolded at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad where the Dolphins went up against the Panthers in their campaign opener on September 14.

The Panthers batted first and set a target of 329. In the 18th over the second innings, Muhammad Akhlaq struck a powerful shot off Usama Mir’s bowling, aiming the long-off boundary. Saim Ayub, who was placed in that region, chose to give it a try as the ball seemed to be within his reach. The ball directly landed into his clasp but the fielder failed to maintain his balance. Ayub perhaps thought of completing the catch in his second attempt. He, however, lost control and ended up conceding a six.

The scene was reminiscent of what happened in the recent T20 World Cup final between India and South Africa. At the dying stages of the summit clash, when the Proteas needed 16 runs to seal the deal, David Miller tried to clear the long-off boundary. Suryakumar Yadav put up an exceptional effort to offer India a lifeline. He first lofted the ball and then chased its trajectory to complete the catch.

After Saib Ayub’s miss in the Champions One-Day Cup, a fan sarcastically branded him as “Pakistan’s Suryakumar Yadav”. A video of the missed opportunity was shared on X (formerly Twitter) and the post attracted reaction from many users. One of them quipped, “Pakistani fielders play for opponent teams.”

“Caught me off guard. I was waiting for a good catch video,” commented another social media user.

One fan felt that Saim Ayub did over as he could have “caught the ball even without moving back.”

According to this person, Saim Ayub “pushed the ball to the wrong side” and it led him to lose control of it.

The failed attempt, however, was not costly as Usama Mir dismissed Muhammad Akhlaq in his next over and this time, Saim Ayub made no mistake in completing the catch. The Dolphins fell 50 runs short of the target. The Saud Shakeel-led side was bundled out in 47 overs.