Nobody more accurately embodies the adage “Jack of all trades, master of none” than Shoaib Malik. A nearly two-decade-long career that started as an off-spinner will certainly end as one of Pakistan’s all-time most reliable batsmen in the shorter forms of the game, whenever that may be.
The man from Sialkot is a spectator favorite thanks to a solid defense and some attractive horizontal bat shots and lofted drives. In terms of his batting average, though, most of his career has been a musical chairs game. From one to ten, he has toyed with each batting position. He has seen it all: a reliable number three, a strong opener, a reliable middle-order bat, and a manufactured slogger. According to the cricketing experts, Shoaib walks on thin ice in the subcontinent and the ice gets thinner for him to stand on when he moves away from there. However, criticism hasn’t really had much of an impact on the reserved and soft-spoken Malik.
In October 1999, Shoaib Malik made his debut against the West Indies at the age of 17. His bowling style was a carbon copy of Saqlain Mushtaq’s, and in his debut game, he claimed two wickets. But with time, Shoaib’s batting began to take precedence, and when he was first moved up to the number 4 position in the batting order, he took the bull by the horns and scored a hundred against the West Indies at Sharjah. A few games later, he was chosen to open, and he justified the choice with a magnificent century against the Kiwis in Lahore. However, in 2004, when he was reported for suspicious activity, his bowling took a hit and was later cleared, it continued to add to his character. Although he lost some of his effectiveness as a result of his altered action, his batting was still enough to maintain him in the shorter formats.
Shoaib has an unrivaled affection for India. All three of his best ODI performances have come against India. The two notable ones are his 143 in an Asia Cup game played in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2004 and his breathtaking 128 in a Champions Trophy match played in Centurion, South Africa, in 2009, when he virtually “cut” his way through the Indian bowling attack to destroy it. It makes sense that, compared to his career average, which is in the mid-30s, his ODI average versus India is around 50.
His performance in the whites was very unconvincing and left much to be desired. He made his Test debut in 2001 and ended his playing career against England in late 2015. After almost 5 years, he had rejoined the Test team, and to mark the occasion, he scored a double hundred in his first match back. However, he made the decision to retire after the third Test, claiming that he wanted to devote all of his attention to the shorter forms. His best performance as a Test player, though, came in 2006 against Sri Lanka when he batted all day to preserve Pakistan by scoring a tenacious 148* off 369 balls. In his 35 appearances, he scored three tons in the whites, with that being the first. A final average of 35.14 was a huge letdown for a player who possessed the grit, the skills, and the shots to excel in the elite version of the game.
Malik’s 18-month stint as the ODI captain was primarily marred by bad weather, and he was relieved of his duties in January 2009 following a humbling loss to Sri Lanka in Lahore. Malik never managed to get along with other senior members of the team during his stay, despite the late Bob Woolmer always having high regard for his cricketing acumen, according to several sections of the media. After the unsuccessful 2009–10 tour of Australia, the PCB decided to ban him for a year due to his conflict with the senior players. However, the prohibition was lifted within a short while.
BPL 2023 Rangpur Riders captain Shoaib Malik led Pakistan to the Final in 2007 World Cup
His T20 accomplishments are well known, and in addition to leading Pakistan to the final of the first T20 World Cup in 2007, he also played a significant role in that tournament’s success in England in 2009. Although he lost favor for two years in ODIs following the Champions Trophy in 2013, this has never happened in the shortest format. He competes for Karachi Kings in the PSL and has also represented Hobart Hurricanes and Barbados Tridents in the BBL and CPL, respectively.
After a disappointing performance for Pakistan in the 2013 Champions Trophy, he was benched from the ODI team, but since making a comeback following the 2015 World Cup, his average and strike rate have increased. He will be well-maintained by a strong desire to play for Pakistan until the 2019 World T20, which bodes well for the Pakistan limited-overs team.
According to Shoaib Malik, the 2019 World Cup will be his final international competition using the 50-over format. He made his Pakistani debut in 1999 and given his prominence in Pakistani cricket, one would have expected him to have participated in at least three or four World Cups by now. But the truth is that he has only ever played for Pakistan once in a World Cup, during the dreadful 2007 campaign. In Pakistan’s campaign, he was possibly the lone bright spot, scoring a scorching 62 off just 54 balls in the team’s opening encounter against West India. Nevertheless, Pakistan lost the game, thus his participation was insufficient. Malik would be Pakistan’s go-to finisher at this World Cup, and Pakistan would rely on Malik’s expertise to help them cross the finish line in a tight game.
Despite not being able to rejoin the Pakistani World Cup team in 2022, Malik, 40, showed no regret. Malik explained to the media that the selection committee and team management were solely responsible for his selection, and he would not want to place the responsibility for his exclusion on anyone.
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