Shoaib Malik is a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team and a Pakistani cricketer. He was born on February 1, 1982, in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan, and is a batting all-rounder like his former teammate and captain Shahid Afridi.
He is a right-handed middle-order batsman who bowls right-arm off-break. He has the ability to take long shots and is skilled at spinning his ball. He is one of Pakistan’s top T20 stars and the team’s leading run scorer in T20s.
Background
Malik used to play tape-ball cricket in the streets as a kid before getting actively interested in cricket. Only after joining Imran Khan’s coaching centres in Sialkot in 1993/94 did he realise his full potential.
He started his career as a batsman before moving to bowling. Following trials, he was picked for the Pakistan U-15 team. Because of his bowling abilities, he was able to join the team.
He currently captains the Sialkot Stallions and plays with them. He has played for the Barbados Tridents, Gloucestershire, Delhi Daredevils, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Karachi Kings, Pakistan International Airlines, Hobart Hurricanes, Pakistan Reserves, and Sialkot Cricket Association in the past.
Debut
On October 14, 1999, Shoaib Malik made his One-Day International debut against the West Indies. Before his career shifted to bowling, he took two wickets in his debut match.
On August 29, 2001, he made his Test debut against Bangladesh, which Pakistan won by an innings and 264 runs. His Test career took a sharp decline, and just 5 years after his debut, he scored his first test century.
On the same day as Shahid Afridi, he made his T20I debut against England on August 28, 2006.
Rise to Glory
Shoaib Malik’s rise to fame as an all-rounder was marred by controversy after his bowling action was inspected in 2001. Despite his bowling deficiencies, Malik was a capable batsman who played in all five positions in tests.
Except for 11th, he is the only cricketer to have played in every spot. Malik became Pakistan’s regular opener in tests and one-day internationals before an appropriate replacement could be sought.
His most notable innings came against Sri Lanka in 2006, when he batted for an entire day and scored 148 runs to save the match.
All three of his test centuries have come in games that finished in a tie. He has nine ODI centuries to his name, four of which came against India, his arch-rival. In T20s, he has six fifties and is a solid middle-order batsman.
Club Career
Malik was a member of the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in July 2003. In 2003, he put in a strong performance, and his contract was extended until 2004. Malik appeared in eight first-class matches for Gloucestershire in two seasons, making 214 runs at an average of 17.83 with two fifties and taking 15 wickets at an average of 45.06 with best bowling figures of 3/76.
When Lancashire asked Malik about playing T20s for them, he agreed, but later refused when he was picked for the 2010 Asia Cup squad. He has also featured in the IPL for the Delhi Daredevils.
Captaincy
When Shoaib Malik took over as captain on April 19, 2007, at the age of 25, he became Pakistan’s fourth youngest captain. He led his team to victory in their first series as captain, defeating Sri Lanka 2-1.
He went on to lose the next two episodes, to South Africa and India. His captaincy lasted two years, during which time he led the team to victory in 24 of the 36 ODIs and 12 of the 17 T20Is. His test spell was a failure, as he only managed a draw out of three games, losing the other two.
Records
In ODIs, Malik has received five Player of the Series awards and 18 Man of the Match awards. With more than 1821 runs in T20s, he is Pakistan’s leading run scorer.
Retirement
In the longer format, Malik announced his retirement, saying that he wanted to focus on the 2019 World Cup. In the shorter formats of the game, he is an important member of the Pakistani squad.