Despite being in the nascent stage of his international career, Saim Ayub is already making big waves. Ayub made his international debut in March 2023 against Afghanistan. Having made his ODI and Test debut just over a year ago, he has already racked up 44 international appearances.

He has scored three centuries and a half-century in just nine ODIs and, despite being injured, has been included in Pakistan’s provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held on home soil next month.

The 22-year-old’s foray into international cricket has made a major impression on several stalwarts of the game.

Nasser Hussain: He could be a dynamic player for Pakistan

Former England captain Hussain, in the Sky Sports Cricket podcast with Michael Atherton, was asked about the batters who could form the next ‘Fab Four’ of cricket. He picked England’s Harry Brook and India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal before coming to Ayub.

“Saim Ayub’s just had this injury and it’s not sure whether he’ll be fit for the Champions Trophy, but he could be a dynamic player at the top of the order for Pakistan across all formats,” said Hussain.

Hussain went on to pick Travis Head as his final choice before being informed by Atherton that Head’s age doesn’t qualify him for this discussion.

Michael Atherton, meanwhile, chose to go with Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis and Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand along with Brook and Jaiswal as the next ‘Fab Four’.

The term ‘Fab Four’ was coined by renowned cricket commentator Martin Crowe in 2013 when he prophesied that Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson would dominate the cricket landscape for a generation. His prediction came true.

Since then, the term has been extremely popular and cricket lovers continue to be on the lookout for the next Fab Four. While many names have been entertained, none of them have been able to emulate the success of their predecessors. Only time will tell if Atherton and Hussain's prediction proves to be successful.

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