Shoaib Malik

It can be well argued that there is no role in a cricket team that Shoaib Malik hasn’t filled. Jack of all trades, but master of none, Malik has been in international cricket for more than two decades now. A right-handed middle order batsman, and a handy off-break bowler, Malik plays for Pakistan national cricket team and Peshawar Zalmi in the domestic circuit.

Malik made his Pakistan debut in an ODI game against West Indies in 1999, and two years later he got a chance to represent Pakistan in the longest format of the game.

Over the years, Malik has been utilised as a floater in ODI and Test formats. However, he has reinvented himself as a T20 batsman and is now regarded as one of the best T20 players from Pakistan.

In 2001, Malik was reported for a suspected bowling action. Pakistan Cricket Board worked with his action and instructed him to only concentrate on the off spin, rather than the ‘doosra’

Ever since his Test debut in 2001, Malik struggled to cement a place in the national side. However, in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2006, Malik played the innings of his life, when the right hander batted the whole day and scored an unbeaten 148 to salvage a draw for his nation.

Post the 2007 ICC World Cup, Inzamam ul-Haq resigned as the Pakistan skipper and Malik was given a chance to step up as the next captain. Former Pakistan coach, Bom Woolmer, always believed that Malik was one of the most intelligent people in the squad and would be a good leader.

But, things didn’t go according to his plans as poor performance with the bat and series loss against Sri Lanka in early 2009 resulted in him getting axed as the skipper of Pakistan.

The Sialkot born has loved playing against arch-rivals, India, and it was evident in a 2009 Champions Trophy game, when Malik scored a stunning 128 off just 126 deliveries to help his side beat India by 54 runs.

In 2010, the batter was banned by PCB for one-year, after he was charged with misconduct following Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia in the same year. 

He was dropped from the Pakistan ODI squad after the 2013 Champions Trophy campaign and made his comeback in 2015 and since then has been a regular feature in the shorter forms of the game. 

Pakistan drafted Malik in their squad for the 2019 World Cup but the batsman had a horrendous tournament, scoring 8 runs in three matches, with two golden ducks.

Shoaib Mailk has played T20 franchise cricket all around the globe. He was named the skipper of Karachi Kings for the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League. He gave away his captaincy to Ravi Bopara, mid tournament. 

Malik has also captained Multan Sultans in the third season of PSL, and currently plays Peshawar Zalmi as an allrounder.

A bits and pieces cricketer in his early days, Malik has been a stalwart for Pakistan cricket team for the past two decades now. He has had his own share of highs and lows at the international level, but no one can doubt Malik’s dedication towards his game, which has improved drastically, ever since his comeback in 2015.

(As of May 21)