Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik: “I am going to keep playing which is why I am not even thinking of retiring”
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Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has made it clear that he doesn’t plan on retiring right now.
He noted that he still hopes to represent his country, even though his last match for the men in green came in November 2021.
The 41-year-old has been active on the domestic scene and said he has been working to ensure his fitness is as good as a 25-year-old.
“Trust me, even though I am the oldest in the team, you can compare my fitness with a 25-year-old. What motivates me is I still enjoy coming to the ground and I still think that the hunger is there. As long as these two things are there, I am going to keep playing which is why I am not even thinking of retiring,” Malik was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
The veteran cricketer recently played for the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 200 runs in nine matches, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 28.57 and a strike-rate of 127.38.
Pakistan’s next assignment is five T20Is and five ODIs against New Zealand, but Malik was not selected in either squad.
Pakistan squad for T20I series against New Zealand:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir