Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik: “You can always improve on fitness but I want to thank God Almighty because for me, it is something that is naturally instilled in me”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik may be 40 years old, but he has made it clear that he is always looking to improve his fitness.
He added that the desire to get better has always been instilled in him and he will carry on doing it.
He pointed out that he needs to be incredibly fit since he bats in the middle order, which is where batsmen have to “rely on running between the wickets a bit more” since “the field restriction is not there”.
The veteran cricketer was in fine form in PSL 7 as he was the fourth-highest run-scorer with 401 runs in 11 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included three fifties, at an average of 44.55 and a strike-rate of 137.32.
He also took three wickets at an average of 24 and an economy rate of 6.54.
“I am not claiming that opening is an easy task but in the middle overs, the field restriction is not there. That means you have to rely on running between the wickets a bit more; this is where your fitness truly comes in,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“You can always improve on fitness but I want to thank God Almighty because for me, it is something that is naturally instilled in me.”
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