Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik declares last appearance in ODI cricket

Shoaib Malik has been one of the greatest all-round cricketers Pakistan has ever produced. The Sialkot-born cricketer made his debut back in 1999 and is still going great guns in limited-overs cricket. He has been a mainstay in their middle-order for almost two decades and is still amongst the most dependable figures in the somewhat inexperienced batting lineup.

He retired from Test cricket following Pakistan’s series in 2015. He made a shock return to the format after five years and made a stupendous half-century, but couldn’t perform thereafter. Subsequently, he bid adieu to the longest format of the game. Back in May, he hinted about his retirement after the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.

In a recent development, he made the news official and mentioned that the event will mark his final appearance in the 50-over format. Nevertheless, he also mentioned that he would wish to continue playing T20Is provided fitness permits. “The 2019 World Cup will be the last 50-over event of my career but I will try to keep playing T20s if I maintain fitness and form until 2020,” Malik told to PakPassion.

Malik’s illustrious career in a gist

Malik has played 35 Tests, 261 ODIs and 98 T20Is in which he has notched 1898, 6975 and 1989 runs respectively. Moreover, the veteran has 12 centuries to go with 56 half-centuries. His last assignment was against Scotland and he scored 102 runs in the couple of matches. He has recently been named both in the T20I and ODI squads for the T20I triangular and ODI series in Zimbabwe next month.

The 36-year old player also played in this year’s Pakistan Super League when he represented the Multan Sultans. His team finished at the bottom half of the table, but Malik showed impressive form with 224 runs from 10 matches at an impressive average of 37.33. He will also ply his trade for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League after playing five seasons for the Barbados Tridents.

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