One of the senior-most players in Pakistan cricket, Shoaib Malik, has made it very clear that he has no intention of continuing to play for Pakistan at the international level. Former Pakistan all-rounder ace, who had been dropped from the T20 World Cup squad last year and did not feature in Pakistan’s playing eleven for T20 World Cup 2024, played his last international match for his country in the second T20 international against Bangladesh in November 2021.
This match was played under the captaincy of Babar Azam. Malik has retired from international cricket and is now a part-time player, signing up as the captain for the Karachi Kings in the PSL. It is the biggest moment as he decides to shift his focus from national obligation to deriving pleasure from playing in domestic leagues and building young talents. Test and ODI cricket no longer interests Shoaib Malik, and he has emphasized this decision, stating that there are a lot of fields in cricket that he wants to venture into.
Retirement From Test and ODI Formats
Shoaib Malik has retired from Test and One Day Internationals but is still playing for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). While Shoaib Malik has distanced himself from one-day cricket on an international level, he still plays the game in domestic leagues. His appearance on international T20s is not very frequent because he is more concerned with his duties in PSL.
While interacting with Cricket Pakistan recently, the hero of the year also seemed to have a very high level of contentment with his cricketing career. He expressed his satisfaction and contentment with his accomplishments, as well as his desire to retire from international cricket. Malik has not been actively involved in the T20 internationals for Pakistan, but that does not restrain him from having passion and satisfaction in this game; he has made good contributions to the game at the domestic level. He had retired from two forms of the game, and in the one that he has left behind, he has said he likes to play in leagues wherever possible.
Shoaib Malik’s Criticism of Current Team Management
It is not just the future of Shoaib Malik as a Pakistani cricketer but also his discontentment with the present condition of Pakistan cricket. He has offered negative opinions about his team’s performance and authority, including going against Babar Azam as a captain. Shoaib Malik thinks that Babar should focus only on batting instead of the captain’s workload. This feeling is typical for the men in green, who lost two major tournaments in the last year and experienced increased criticism from the team and its management. The fans had also badly trolled the team, specifically for Babar Azam’s performance in the recent T20 World Cup.
This discussion aims to discuss how Pakistani cricket is facing these emerging and difficult phases of transition and how Shoaib Malik himself decided to withdraw from international cricket during his playing career. His attention will be on extending his impact on the progress of the sport via local championships and training the prospective talents of the teams, while the national team will face a challenge in the search for ways to rise to the previous level again. Hopefully, the entire country will see some positive results.
For More Great Content
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily-detailed articles every day on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content at Total Apex Sports. Check us out on @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Entertainment, Total Apex Gaming, Total Apex Sports Bets, and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
