Shoaib Malik has been witness to different eras and different phases of the game
Sharjah - Malik praises youngster Babar Azam
Published: Mon 3 Oct 2016, 6:37 PM
Last updated: Mon 3 Oct 2016, 8:46 PM
Having played international cricket for Pakistan for 17 years and also captained the team, Shoaib Malik has been witness to different eras and different phases of the game.
And being a veteran of 356 matches across formats and the senior most in the current Pakistan limited-overs teams, Malik is in a better position to judge where Pakistan cricket is headed. And he likes what he is seeing.
Malik has made numerous comebacks that counting them would be an exercise in futility. But having now been given an extended run in the shorter formats of the game, world cricket is getting to see Shoaib Malik 2.0, if you will.
Malik is looking sharper and fitter than ever before, and clearly belies his age. And he is also scoring consistently. He may be 34 years old and perhaps at the twilight of his career and Malik is overseeing a successful transition taking place in Pakistan cricket.
Apart from sharing his experiences with the new and exciting youngsters who have come in, Malik said that playing alongside them is also inspiring him to perform well.
"One cannot say what the future holds," Malik said about his future.
"But one thing is for sure that my goal is that my performance should be consistent. And not just my performance but also the amount of cricket that I have played, I want to share those experiences with the youngsters. The reason I left Test cricket was because it was a developed team and if one or two youngsters come in, it would be really good. One of the examples is Babar Azam. If he comes into the Test team, it would be a good sign for Pakistan cricket," he added.
The new faces who have come into the team have stepped up to the plate and Malik said that it is a good for Pakistan cricket.
"I'm very excited and I think even though we lost a couple of series in the recent past, I have seen a glimpse and I think it is a very good sign for Pakistan cricket. And playing with youngsters, it gives me a lot of inspiration and it encourages me a lot," said Malik, who has played 239 One Day Internationals.
Malik also felt that the young players needed to be given a longer run and commended the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the selection committee, headed by former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, for doing so.
"Let's take Babar Azam as an example. If the selectors hadn't picked him after the England series, so we wouldn't be talking about Babar Azam here. So, I guess, it goes for everyone. I think that the PCB is heading in the right direction and the selection committee is doing a wonderful job. As our captain (Azhar Ali) mentioned, we need a bit of patience. Our Test team is No.1 because there are not many changes and we have come to that road where if you see here too, there haven't been any changes over the past five to six games. And because of that, the results are positive. I think we have to support each other," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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