Shoaib Malik- A tribute to the evergrowing player

Over the last few decades especially after their World Cup triumph in 1992,Pakistan has given the world of cricket new stars and yes they did shine brightly when playing for their country. Be it Saeed Anwar,Inzamam ul Haq,Shahid Afridi etc.these players were known for their raw talent and hunger to perform whenever their country needs them. One such player is Shoaib Malik.

Shoaib Malik is one of the most talented all rounders in world cricket. Born on 1st Feb, 1982 he played cricket right from childhood days but got serious about the game when he attended Imran Khan's coaching classes in Sialkot and he flourished there as a batsman. He did not get enough support from his family as his family wanted him to concentrate on academics. But as the saying goes, "No force can stop a determined person" he was selected for the national U-15 team surprisingly for his bowling as he also had honed his skills in bowling. He gradually performed well and soon he made his debut against the West Indies in 1999.

He began to perform well in the international arena as well but his luck had already planned a roller coaster ride for him. He fractured his right arm in 2001 and at the same time PCB banned his bowling action. But he soon came back and signed a contract with Gloucestershire in 2004. He impressed during this county stint that resulted into the renewal of the contract. Due to these matured performances he was called back to the national side. But again in 2004 ICC banned his bowling action but this ban was lifted after 8 months. He was also handed one test bans at two occasions in his entire career.

"There is a day after every night". He went through a lot in 2002-2005. But he soon bounced back even stronger. After the Inzamam ul Haq era ended Shoaib Malik was appointed as the captain of Pakistan team in 2007. He was very successful as a captain as he led his team to victory in 24 ODIs out of 36 and 12 T20s out of 18.

He was banned again by the PCB in 2010 alleging that he had caused a disrupt amongst the team members during the Australia tour. Once again county cricket rescued his career and he signed a contract with Lancashire for the T20 cup. He also impressed in that cup. PCB lifted his ban and he was recalled into the ODI squad in 2010 for Asia Cup. Despite a calm and matured attitude he is not a regular part of test team due to his poor average.

But he is recalled in the test side in 2015 to play against England as his performance against Zimbabwe was highly praised. He nearly won the match for his team in the second ODI against Zimbabwe scoring 96* but weather had the last call in the match. Zimbabwe won the match by 5 runs by DL method.



Talking about his playing style he has batted at every position except 11 in test cricket. He has a very good temperament mixed with attacking stroke play. He has scored 2 test centuries with the highest being 148* vs Sri Lanka which was a very appreciated innings as he batted the whole day. In ODIs he has scored 8 centuries with 143 being his highest.

He is regarded as a mature player who assures extra care to every shot he plays and that has led him not to throw away wickets at crunch situations. But he can come all guns blazing. In a match against South Africa he scored 82 off 41 balls giving a clear indication that he can devastate the bowler not only with the soft smooth drives and cuts but also with some power hitting.

Malik has proven himself as an important all rounder in every format of the Game. He has taken over 100 wickets in ODIs with many 3 wicket hauls. He was ranked 2 on the list of best all rounders in ODIs only behind his teammate Shahid Afridi in 2008.

He recently announced his test retirement after a successful series against England in UAE. He even scored a double hundred against England in the same series.

In the end I would like to say that Shoaib Malik has proven himself as a Saviour who can win matches for his team due to his calm nature. He has suffered many things and gone through a lot in his cricketing life but that will remain history as his career graph is soaring high with his performances against Zimbabwe which awarded him the Man of the Series award. He is an evergrowing player and the Saviour of Pakistan cricket.