Pakistan's Shoaib Malik to decide on retirement around World T20
Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has said he will be making a decision about his international retirement around the ICC T20 World Cup slated to be held in Australia this year. Malik was recently seen in action against Bangladesh in the T20I series which Pakistan won 2-0. Here's what Malik said regarding his retirement from cricket.
'Right now my focus is on the Pakistan Super League'
Malik said the T20 World Cup is far off and right now his focus is on the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL). "The World Cup is still far off and I think right now my focus is on the Pakistan Super League and coming matches for Pakistan. When I get closer to the World Cup I will see what to do," Malik told reporters.
Malik had a disappointing CWC campaign before making a return
The former Pakistan skipper had retired from ODIs after the ICC World Cup 2019 in England. Notably, he managed scored of 8, 0 and 0 before being dropped from the team. However, recently he was called for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. In the first T20I, managed to score an unbeaten 50 and helped his side win the match.
Malik will decide on retirement looking at his fitness
"I will have to see my fitness and position in the national side closer to the World Cup and then I will take a decision on final retirement," he added.
Malik is the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is
The 38-year-old played 35 Tests, 287 ODIs and 113 T20Is for Pakistan. He has 2,321 career T20I runs and is the fourth-highest run-scorer in the format. He is also one of the three players to have played 100-plus T20I matches. Malik has eight T20I fifties to his name. He had earlier amassed 7,534 career ODI runs which included nine hundreds and 44 half-centuries.
