The all-rounder said that he has no expectations from the captain and coach regarding his selection but is available to play for Pakistan
Veteran Pakistani batting all-rounder Shoaib Malik said that he is available to play for Pakistan but with zero expectations from the captain and the coach. Malik who is currently playing in the Lanka Premier League expressed his willingness to play for Pakistan having last played for his country in November 2021.
Malik has been a stall word of Pakistan cricket and is one of the few players who is still playing professional cricket having made his made his international debut before 2000. Malik has also captained Pakistan in ODI and T20.
One of the highlights of his captaincy tenure was Pakistan’s performance in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 when the team made it to the final of the tournament where they lost to India by five runs.
One more chance
Malik also holds the record for scoring the fastest fifty by a Pakistani batter in a T20 international when he scored a fifty off just 18 balls against Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Expressing his desire to play for Pakistan Malik said “I have retired from Tests and ODIs. I had great stats when I was dropped, I am still available to play T20I cricket for Pakistan, but I don’t expect anything from the captain or selectors. Zero expectations, and will play till I am enjoying.”
Malik who has had an illustrious career in all three formats was dropped in the middle of the 2019 50-over World Cup in England and Wales but made a comeback in the T20 format of the game and has played crucial and match-winning knocks for Pakistan since his return. He along with another Pakistani veteran Mohmmad Hafeez played a crucial role in Pakistan’s successful run in the T20 World Cup 2021 when the team reached the semifinal of the tournament.
The road ahead
With more and more youngsters busting on the scene, it won’t be easy for Malik to make a comeback into the team, especially with the next T20 World Cup still a few months away it will be interesting to see if Malik is able to sustain his good form till then and more importantly if the team management and the captain are willing to give him another chance with age not being on his side.
