Guest: SAIM AYUB (CRICKETER)
HOST: IMRAN KHAN
#saimayub #imrankhan #arypodcast #podcast
HOST: IMRAN KHAN
#saimayub #imrankhan #arypodcast #podcast
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 You should never give up on your dreams.
00:03 Do you have any interest in music?
00:05 I do have a passion for it.
00:06 Which instrument do you play?
00:08 I have a guitar.
00:10 When Azam and I are together, we jam together.
00:14 We haven't seen any of your videos while jamming.
00:17 Is that something that we'll see?
00:19 That's because we haven't put a video together yet.
00:22 Tell me, who was your inspiration in cricket?
00:26 There are a lot of people like Saeed Anwar, Bran Lara, Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar.
00:31 I like these types of cricketers.
00:33 Have you met any of them?
00:37 Only Saeed Bhai.
00:38 I've heard that you also do sledging there.
00:40 Sledging?
00:42 I just did it with poor Abdullah Shafiq.
00:47 [Intro]
00:59 Hello, you're watching Cricket Kahani on A-Sports.
01:03 I'm here with Pakistan's left-handed opening batter, Saim Ayub.
01:08 Saim, welcome to the show. How are you?
01:09 Thank you so much.
01:10 Alhamdulillah, I'm fine.
01:11 I'm fine too.
01:12 The Pakistan team is going on a long tour.
01:14 Ireland, UK and then Inshallah, the T20 World Cup.
01:17 What's your routine before the team travels?
01:21 Our sessions get cancelled, but we have a session tomorrow.
01:27 And then we'll travel at night, Inshallah.
01:31 So, we'll travel at night and then we'll rest a bit before the session.
01:38 Are you a light traveler or do you carry a lot of stuff?
01:41 I carry as little as I can.
01:45 But since the tour is quite long, I'll have to carry more.
01:49 Do you go on tour for shopping?
01:51 Yes, I do.
01:56 Do you like to wear designer wear or whatever you get, you'll wear?
02:01 I like to wear different things.
02:09 Saim, tell us about the Pakistan team's new set-up in management.
02:14 You guys just came back from a fitness camp in Kakuul and then a training camp in Lahore.
02:18 Gary Kirsten is coming as a white ball coach.
02:20 How are you seeing these changes?
02:23 And what are the conversations going on around your role with the Pakistan team?
02:28 You mentioned Gary Kirsten.
02:32 I've heard a lot about him.
02:34 He's a very positive person and a great coach.
02:39 We've had a meeting with him on Zoom.
02:42 The interaction was great.
02:45 When we meet him in England, I hope we'll have a great experience.
02:51 The preparations are going well.
02:54 The management and the captain are supporting me.
02:58 I'm trying to keep up with my preparations.
03:05 I don't think about the result day.
03:08 I don't have anything in my hands that day.
03:12 I can only focus on my routine.
03:17 The rest is in God's hands.
03:19 You play high-risk cricket and it comes with a high return as well.
03:24 But there are chances of failure.
03:27 Do you get backing from the team and the management?
03:30 You go do your thing.
03:32 Some days it will pay off and some days it will not pay off.
03:35 I get support from the management and the captain.
03:39 Obviously, T20 is a high-risk game.
03:45 The way cricket is played in the current era, it's high-risk.
03:50 If we keep improving our quality and our batting,
03:58 we can bring down the risk level and increase the performance.
04:06 But we have our own style.
04:12 We shouldn't let go of success.
04:17 We should make up for our shortcomings.
04:24 You were mentioned in the headlines when you started hitting no-look shots.
04:31 That became associated with you as a cricketer as well.
04:34 I want to dial back a little.
04:36 You were in the Pakistan U19s set-up.
04:38 Where did your cricket start?
04:40 Who were the people who played a major role in bringing you up in age-group cricket?
04:46 I first played under-16 cricket.
04:51 That's when I realized what cricket is.
04:55 I used to practice only in the academy.
04:58 My club was also something that not everyone knew about.
05:04 I played under-16 cricket, but the coaches were different.
05:10 I played under-19 cricket, and my club changed.
05:15 The two or three people who have supported me,
05:18 who are still with me and will always be,
05:20 guide me at every level.
05:24 Some people guide me technically, some people guide me mentally.
05:31 They guide me through the things that are happening outside the ground.
05:35 There is not just one person in this journey.
05:39 There are a few people who have been helping me from the beginning.
05:46 I am very thankful to all of them.
05:50 I feel very good that they supported me when I was down and believed in me more than I did.
05:59 I still feel good to interact with them.
06:06 How much support did your family give you?
06:08 Does your family also like cricket?
06:10 My family has always liked it, but they didn't know that my son would be successful.
06:18 I was the youngest in the family.
06:20 My elder brother wanted to play cricket, but he couldn't because of studies.
06:26 But since I was the youngest, no one stopped me.
06:29 My father got me admitted to the academy in 2011.
06:35 Even after playing under-16 and under-19, he used to say that the tour is over,
06:42 focus on your studies and come for the exams.
06:45 But then it was such a situation that in Pakistan, we can either give exams or play cricket.
06:52 So I couldn't move forward.
06:56 But I try to learn as much as I can from books.
07:02 Which books do you read?
07:04 I try to read books related to cricket or mental books.
07:11 I like reading books because it helps me relax and my vocabulary improves.
07:25 Azam was saying that he is fond of music and he finds it therapeutic.
07:30 Do you have any interest in music?
07:32 I am fond of it.
07:35 Which instrument do you like?
07:36 I have a guitar.
07:38 When Azam is with us, we jam together.
07:43 We haven't seen your video of you jamming together.
07:45 Is that something that we'll see?
07:48 That's because we haven't put a video together yet.
07:50 Or we haven't let it come out yet.
07:52 Saim, tell me who was your inspiration in cricket?
07:56 When you were growing up, under-16, under-19,
07:58 what international cricketers were you watching and saying,
08:02 "I want to play like this guy."
08:04 I have said this many times in interviews that
08:11 I was inspired by one thing.
08:14 When I used to watch Pakistan's team play on TV or when the academy came,
08:22 the under-16 team from Karachi used to come to the NCA.
08:26 I used to see them carrying Pakistan's bags and shirts.
08:31 I used to say, "I wish I could get one day to carry this."
08:35 I was hungry for this bag.
08:39 I want to take it home while I'm playing.
08:41 It has a Pakistan helmet on it.
08:43 That was my biggest inspiration.
08:45 As far as players are concerned,
08:47 I don't think there is a single player who is very good.
08:54 I like a lot of players,
08:56 especially when I was very young.
08:59 So, I don't think I have any inspiration from anyone.
09:02 Name a few.
09:03 There are a lot of people like Saeed Anwar, Brian Lara, Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar.
09:09 I like a lot of such cricketers.
09:11 Did you meet any of them?
09:13 I only met Saeed.
09:15 What did you talk about?
09:17 It was nothing special because he is in the Tablighi.
09:24 I met him in the mosque.
09:28 I think he doesn't talk much about cricket.
09:32 He didn't know me at that time.
09:34 I didn't play with Pakistan at that time.
09:38 I was shy and didn't talk to him.
09:42 We were sitting in the mosque.
09:44 If I meet him again, I will talk to him.
09:48 Saeem, let's fast forward to your time in the PSL.
09:52 You played with Peshawar Zalmi and Babur Azam's captaincy.
09:56 You are playing with them in the national team.
09:59 How lucky do you think you are to bat with Babur?
10:03 He is one of the greatest batters in today's era.
10:06 I think I am lucky.
10:09 Last year, when I was playing with Zalmi for the first time,
10:16 I got the chance to open with him.
10:19 I was very nervous.
10:23 I wanted to improve my standard.
10:27 If he plays, he will overshadow me.
10:32 I was nervous about the shot.
10:36 I was under pressure.
10:38 But I still enjoy the time I spent with him.
10:43 I see a sense of freedom and trust in him.
10:49 I want a youngster to be like a senior player.
10:54 That helped me a lot.
10:57 I learned a lot from Zalmi.
11:00 I improved my batting.
11:04 I learned some tactics and mental things from him.
11:11 I asked him some questions and he told me some.
11:15 I saw him at the running end.
11:20 He was able to deliver the shots.
11:23 He is the best seat in the house.
11:25 Tell me, because they have high expectations from you,
11:29 do they get angry if you play a false shot?
11:35 Or do they deal with you easily?
11:38 They don't get angry.
11:41 When I play against my routine,
11:47 they ask me why I am not playing.
11:54 They ask me why I am not doing it.
11:56 They ask me why I am not stopping you.
11:58 They ask me why I am not stopping you.
12:00 They ask me why I am not saying anything.
12:02 It is wrong to play against your routine.
12:04 You should play with your routine.
12:06 You should play with your belief.
12:08 Their biggest thing is self-belief.
12:11 Even if I say something,
12:13 you should not believe me.
12:15 You should believe in yourself and do it with 100% clarity.
12:20 We saw another side of you in PSL.
12:22 You bowled for the national team.
12:24 You are a very handy new ball bowler.
12:27 Do you see yourself as a bowler who can get the team wickets?
12:31 Do you see yourself in the Pakistan team?
12:34 I am ready to play any role in the Pakistan team.
12:41 Bowling and fielding are also interesting.
12:46 I am kidding.
12:49 I am not like that.
12:51 I have a passion for bowling, batting, fielding.
12:55 I want to get them.
12:58 But only when the team needs me.
13:00 Otherwise, I don't have a passion for bowling.
13:03 I will try to deliver when the team needs me.
13:06 Do you give time to bowling in practice?
13:08 Or is it just something that you do on and off?
13:10 Sir, we give time to everything in practice.
13:13 We give time to things that are not visible on the screen.
13:16 In practice, everything is A to Z.
13:20 Saim, things must have changed a lot off the field
13:24 from the moment that you came into the spotlight.
13:26 When you played for PSL and then for Pakistan.
13:29 How has all this affected you as a person?
13:33 This is a very good question.
13:38 It used to be easy to leave the house.
13:43 I used to go anywhere and sit.
13:46 With friends or family.
13:49 Now I have to think a little
13:51 about how and when to go.
13:53 How to go.
13:55 Sometimes with a mask on.
13:58 A lot of people come to the house.
14:02 Mom, dad, brother, sister.
14:04 Everyone bothers me.
14:07 But they love me.
14:09 Part of the team.
14:10 Yes, yes.
14:12 So, that has changed a little.
14:15 But this is my big effort.
14:18 I want to meet everyone.
14:20 I want to meet everyone like I am nothing.
14:25 I am one of them, obviously.
14:27 I want to meet everyone like I am one.
14:29 I want to keep everyone happy.
14:31 Saim, tell me.
14:32 The World Cup is going to be held in America.
14:34 There will be a very high intensity game.
14:36 Pakistan vs India.
14:38 Obviously, like most Pakistanis,
14:41 you must have experienced it as a fan.
14:45 How unreal does it feel that
14:47 you can experience it as a player?
14:52 Absolutely.
14:54 There is no doubt that it is an intense match.
14:57 We cannot deny the fact that
14:59 there is a lot of pressure.
15:01 There are a lot of people.
15:02 It creates a hype.
15:04 All that hype is mental.
15:06 It is a match like a normal match.
15:12 Our team, our focus after these two series
15:18 is to win the World Cup.
15:20 How do we do that?
15:22 We focus on the match.
15:24 As far as Pakistan vs India is concerned,
15:29 we will try to win it like a normal match.
15:33 But there is a lot of pressure.
15:36 The main focus is the World Cup.
15:41 We have a goal.
15:45 We will see this match on the day.
15:49 It is just a normal another day.
15:52 Do you talk to the senior cricketers
15:54 who have experienced this pressure?
15:57 Just to understand the environment
15:59 and atmosphere.
16:01 Yes, we talk to them.
16:03 Everyone says that the stadium is full.
16:08 It is all about mentality.
16:10 If you absorb the pressure,
16:12 you become a player.
16:15 Performance is only possible
16:17 when you control your nerves.
16:19 It is a game of pressure.
16:21 Nothing changes there.
16:23 It is all the same.
16:25 It is a test on the day
16:27 how you handle yourself
16:29 under so much pressure.
16:31 I want to take you away from white ball.
16:34 I want to go to Sydney now
16:36 where you debuted.
16:38 It is very difficult for a cricketer
16:41 who has a label on him
16:43 that he is a white ball cricketer.
16:45 You came to Sydney and impressed people.
16:49 Which you managed to do.
16:51 What was the experience
16:53 of playing test cricket in Australia?
16:55 I will take you back.
16:57 I had gone to CPL.
16:59 I had to play the trophy
17:01 as soon as I came back.
17:03 I had 4 matches left.
17:06 I played those 4 matches.
17:10 I had in mind
17:15 that I will take 3-4 years
17:17 to play in Pakistan in red ball.
17:20 I don't want to think about it.
17:22 I just want to think
17:24 how I can improve my 1-2% in red ball.
17:28 As soon as CPL ended,
17:31 I thought of playing the trophy.
17:35 My mind switched on.
17:38 I came back and performed in the trophy.
17:41 I don't know.
17:43 By the grace of God,
17:45 I got the name.
17:47 It was sudden for me.
17:52 You weren't expecting the name.
17:54 Yes, I wasn't expecting it.
17:56 I wasn't ready for it.
17:58 But I got the name.
18:00 When we went to Australia,
18:02 the stadiums were very good
18:06 and historic.
18:08 MCG, Perth, and SCG were the last test.
18:15 SCG is a classic type.
18:18 It gives an old touch.
18:20 I got to know about my debut
18:24 on the night of the last day.
18:26 I didn't know that I was playing
18:28 the match tomorrow.
18:30 I thought they won't let me play.
18:32 I was only there for grooming.
18:34 I played and made my debut.
18:37 I don't know how I felt.
18:41 I thought I could see myself
18:43 in the red ball after 3-4 years.
18:46 I came back so soon.
18:48 I had to adapt.
18:50 I didn't know when I would play
18:52 the start or the bat.
18:55 I got to play right away.
18:57 You used to do sledging there.
19:00 I was very bad with Abdullah Shafiq.
19:06 If you've heard,
19:08 I said, "Bro, I think you're tired
19:12 in the second innings."
19:14 He was teasing me that
19:16 we're hoping for a couple of ducks
19:18 in the debut.
19:20 I replied to him,
19:23 "And the next, very next ball
19:25 will be the best ball of the match."
19:28 So, that's how it was.
19:31 T20, white ball, everything is
19:34 in its place.
19:35 But in Test cricket...
19:36 - This was my next question.
19:38 Do you have a personal preference
19:40 for the format between white ball
19:42 and red ball?
19:43 - No, there's no comparison
19:44 in the formats.
19:45 T20 has its own entertainment.
19:47 Test has its own standard.
19:49 And what's that?
19:50 It's a different pride to wear.
19:52 When you play in the white kit
19:54 and red ball cricket is going on,
19:56 it has a different respect.
19:58 It has a different standard.
20:00 We can't compare that.
20:02 And T20 is another thing.
20:04 It's a different entertainment.
20:06 We see it at a different level.
20:08 But if I'm told that
20:10 it's the last day of the world,
20:12 which day are you?
20:14 Then I'll play Test cricket.
20:16 - That's very good to know.
20:18 Saim, I'd like to know about
20:20 your thought process.
20:22 Do you set any long-term objectives
20:24 like, "I've debuted in Pakistan.
20:26 I have to run so many runs
20:28 for Pakistan in the next 2-2.5 years.
20:30 I have to go up in the rankings.
20:32 I have to win this event."
20:34 Or do you take it on a series-by-series,
20:36 day-to-day basis?
20:38 - You've set a long-term goal
20:40 in your mind.
20:42 You're mentally attracted
20:44 to achieve that thing.
20:46 Now, what's the way?
20:48 I focus more on that.
20:50 I try to follow the path
20:52 that I've chosen.
20:54 If I can work hard on that path,
20:56 I can continuously
20:58 make improvements
21:00 in both failures and success.
21:02 I can add on to it
21:04 day by day,
21:06 month by month, year by year.
21:08 So, that's what matters to me.
21:10 If I want to achieve
21:12 something after 5-10 years,
21:14 and I start doing
21:16 what I want to do
21:18 from now on,
21:20 then how I do it is more important.
21:22 If I focus on the process,
21:24 I'll get the end result.
21:26 We won't even know.
21:28 And what I've learned
21:30 so far is that
21:32 and I see legends
21:34 who say that
21:36 give importance to the process
21:38 and the end result will be better
21:40 than you're thinking.
21:42 - You've won a trophy with Amazon Warriors
21:44 in CPL in 2023.
21:46 I hope you'll win another trophy
21:48 in West Indies.
21:50 That'll be the ICCT World Cup.
21:52 We thank you for being on the show
21:54 and wish you the very best for the upcoming tours.
21:56 Take care of yourself.
21:58 Thank you for joining us once again. - Thank you so much.
22:00 [Music]
22:02 (upbeat music)
22:05 (upbeat music)