Sam Ayub Sets Unwanted Record with Duck in Third T20I Against South Africa

Lahore:

Pakistan opener Saim Ayub endured another disappointing outing at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, registering a six-ball duck while chasing 140 runs. The dismissal marked Ayub’s seventh duck in international cricket this year, which is the most by any player in a single calendar year. The previous record belonged to Zimbabwe pacer Richard Ngarava, who had six ducks in 2024.

Most ducks in a calendar year among full member countries:

Ayub’s struggle with consistency has been evident throughout 2025. During the Asia Cup, he recorded three consecutive ducks against Oman, India, and the UAE, followed by another against Bangladesh in the Super Fours stage.

Despite his recent woes, the left-handed batter showcased his potential in the second T20I against South Africa, where he played a brilliant, unbeaten innings of 71 off 38 balls. Courtesy of that, Pakistan won the second T20I by nine wickets. However, he couldn’t replicate that form in the third match of the series, falling early as Pakistan slipped to 8/1 in their chase.

Quinton de Kock flops again as South Africa struggle with bat

Since returning to international cricket, Quinton de Kock has failed to live up to expectations. In the third T20I against Pakistan, he registered a duck, putting his place in jeopardy once the other players return. His opening partner, Reeza Hendricks, however, managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, scoring 34 runs. 

Captain Donovan Ferreira made 29, while Corbin Bosch added 30* as South Africa posted 139 runs on the board in the first innings. The visiting team won’t be too happy with the batting performance as there’s plenty of room for improvement. Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi was the star with the ball for Pakistan, clinching three wickets; Faheem Ashraf and Usman Tariq picked two each. 

Pakistan and South Africa playing XI

Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira (c), George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams, Ottneil Baartman

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