Saim Ayub downplays "superstar" tag despite Rizwan's praise

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Humble in his demeanor, Saim Ayub modestly dismisses the "superstar" label attributed to him by Mohammad Rizwan, who, despite his struggles with Comilla Victorians in the BPL, expressed high hopes for Ayub's future in Pakistani cricket.

During the BPL, Rizwan commended Ayub, suggesting that exposure to leagues like CPL and BPL would acclimate him to diverse conditions, fostering confidence and strategic acumen applicable to the national team.

"These leagues always help young players," Rizwan said in a press briefing during BPL. "We believe that Saim Ayub is the next superstar from Pakistan. If he goes to CPL or plays the BPL, he will be used to those conditions [and] get confidence from here, [read situations] well. If he learns from here, it is fantastic. He can apply it in the Pakistan team as well."

Ayub, however, remains grounded, emphasizing his awareness of the learning curve ahead and the need for substantial improvements in his game.

Ayub's performance for Durdanto Dhaka fell short of expectations, as he scored 77 runs in five matches at an average of 15.40.

"All I know is that I have a lot left to do at the international level," Ayub told ESPNCricinfo. "I have a lot to learn. I need to improve my game a lot, which will help me dominate. I am working on those things.

"I learned a lot from failures. Top cricketers told me that you learn more from failures than you learn from success. I am happy that I got failures in my early stage. Now I know what standards I have to reach. If I had early success, I wouldn't improve in those important areas."

With a keen eye on modern cricket's demands, Ayub emphasizes the importance of mastering a variety of shots across the field.

"[A range of shots] is needed in modern cricket. If there are eight zones in the field, I want to be able to hit the ball in all of them. There's so much analysis in the game these days that you have to stay ahead of it. I want to prepare myself that way,” he said.

While harboring a deep passion for all three formats, Ayub asserts that his primary goal is to play Test cricket, believing it will enhance his prowess as a limited-overs cricketer.

"I have the same level of interest in all three formats. I love Tests as much as I love playing T20Is and ODIs. I want to play all three formats. Legends play all three formats. Your white-ball game becomes slightly easier when you play red-ball cricket,” he added.