SA vs PAK: Saim Ayub goes past India captain Rohit Sharma with Century in Johannesburg

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Pakistan's rising star, Saim Ayub, has etched his name in the record books by surpassing Indian captain Rohit Sharma during the third ODI against South Africa at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday (December 22).

Opening the innings for Pakistan, the young left-hander played a scintillating knock, registering a crucial half-century that provided his side with a strong platform.

In a rain-marred match, Ayub scored a magnificent 101 in just 94 deliveries. His scintillating knock had 13 fours and 2 sixes, which propelled the visitors to 308 for 9 in their allotted 47 overs.

The southpaw also notched up a century in the first ODI between the two teams and now has taken his tally to three centuries in the short career.

Saim Ayub's knock was not just significant for the match but also monumental for the record books. With his latest innings, Saim has climbed the charts for most runs scored in international cricket in 2024 across all formats. His total now stands at 1,170 runs from 39 innings, surpassing India captain Rohit Sharma's tally of 1,142 runs in 38 innings this year.

The milestone places Saim in an elite list of top international run-scorers in 2024, highlighting his consistency and growth as a key player for Pakistan. Although Ayub has broken Rohit's record, he is behind his own captain Mohammad Rizwan, who has amassed 1338 runs in 38 innings.

In the calendar year so far, Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis has scored the most runs with 1804 (in 53 innings), followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal who has 1605 runs.

Rohit can surpass Saim Ayub in 2024

Although Rohit Sharma is currently behind, the India captain will have the opportunity to get ahead of the Pakistan batter as India take on Australia in the Melbourne Test, slated to start from December 26.

Ayub, on the other hand, will also have a chance to consolidate his run-scoring spree as Pakistan feature against South Africa in the first Test in Centurion, starting from December 26 as well.