File photo of Shoaib Malik©AFP
Before the announcement of the T20 World Cup in Pakistan, fans and cricket pundits expected veteran Shoaib Malik to be named in the squad but disappointment followed as he didn’t get his luck in the team of 15 members. Now ex-Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has revealed he told Shoaib Malik to retire as he knew he wouldn’t have a chance in the World Cup squad and he wouldn’t be no longer respected.
Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Hafeez said“Malik gave his best in Pakistan for about 21-22 years and maintaining his fitness standards for so long is absolutely remarkable.”
“When I retired I told Malik to retire too because I knew he would not be respected as it was so obvious in my case. I had understood that he wanted a last stand but cricket is cruel like that,” he added.
After Pakistan lost the Asian Cup final to Sri Lanka, Malik tweeted to highlight the friendships, likes and dislikes of the Pakistani team.
Promoted
“Unfortunately even when he announced his retirement from ODI cricket the farewell match was not given, realizing his services the match should have been given. Our management has always failed when it comes to to say goodbye to them,” he said. .
“If he had been in the World Cup the team would have had a senior player, don’t talk about the fact he can’t play cut or pull, don’t forget he played cricket for 22 years, so he hasn’t played those We have to understand; we need real cricketers who we can make a winning combination with, whether he’s 40 or 20,” he concluded.
Topics discussed in this article
