Pakistan received a major scare at the start of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, with opening batsman Saim Ayub stretchered off after injuring his ankle. The extent of the injury is still unclear, but he was taken to hospital for treatment. On the field, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle and appeared to be crying immediately after the injury.
The incident occurred in the seventh over of the innings when Ryan Rickelton edged one through the slips, sending Ayub on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal brought it back in while Ayub was set to be the relief fielder, but lost his balance and sprained his ankle. He fell immediately and appeared in distress holding his lower leg as the physio rushed over.
After prolonged treatment outside the border line, Ayub was placed on a stretcher and taken off, with the injury clouding the proceedings for Pakistan. Things only got worse when their substitute fielder, Abdullah Shafique, had a simple chance a few overs later with Aiden Markram under the covers. However, it would not cost Pakistan much as Markram fell to Khurram Shahzad two overs later.
However, the celebrations were notably muted, probably in recognition of the significant blow that losing Ayub would mean. Ayub has been a standout star across formats over the past few months and was Player of the Series when Pakistan beat South Africa 3-0 in the ODI series last month, scoring two hundreds in three games. He is one of the few regulars in all formats for Pakistan and is expected to be a key figure for the team in the upcoming Champions Trophy that Pakistan will host starting in February.
