In a captaincy masterstroke, Babar threw part-timer Ayub the ball for the opening over of the game. Before the match, Ayub had six T20 wickets at 34.83 apiece with his right-arm off breaks, two of which he took in the PSL.

Sending his first ball down to Hales, Ayub pitched it on a length and found some grip in the surface to get the ball to straighten. It beat Hales all ends up as he looked to play it into the leg stump, and cannoned into the top of his middle stump. Ayub immediately embraces Babar in celebration of the tactic paying off, with Hales heading back to the dugout without troubling the scorers.

The 21-year-old batting sensation finished continued with a tidy opening over, conceding three runs from it as well as the wicket. Although his next over wasn’t as tidy, with Colin Munro hitting a six and a four off his second and fourth balls, he struck again at the end of the over. With Munro looking for the big shot once again, he sliced a delivery floated up by Ayub, with Babar settling underneath for an easy catch.

Ayub was then taken out of the attack, having taken figures of 2-15 in his two-over opening spell.

Watch: Saim Ayub bowls Alex Hales with carrom ball, below

Gone first ball 😲
Middle stump rattled 🎯 Saim Ayub spins a web of magic! 🕸️ #HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #IUvPZ pic.twitter.com/QCVYAi1inP

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 4, 2024