Shoaib Malik is an asset for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy: Irfan Pathan

Shoaib Malik is the biggest hope for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. He has been a glint of hope for Pakistan’s batting, considering his experience. After the retirement of the big guns Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib is the loner Pakistan can look up to in the face of any tumultuous situation.

Malik has been playing for Pakistan since 1999 when he made his ODI debut. He has scored close to 8000 runs in international cricket and has over 100 wickets to his name. He has a batting average of nearly 30 in both Test and ODIs. Malik captained Pakistan after the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq but was unsuccessful in the long run. Seems captaincy is not his cup of tea.

Playing in the sixth Champions Trophy match, Malik is delighted to wear the green jersey again in a major cricket tournament. Having a wealth of experience under his belt, youngsters in the Pakistani team will be looking up to him to get a pie of his knowledge. Being an elder player in the team, his presence will be a boon for the team. He can give them a piece of his mind on how to approach a big team like India and play positively.

Malik is extremely important

India-Pakistan matches have seen highly volatile clashes. We have seen Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja doing splendid commentary in these matches that add to the flavour of the intensity. Players from both teams have profound respect for each other and speak out their achievements openly on media platforms.

Recently Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan praised Malik and spoke why a person of his calibre is necessary in the Pakistani team.” The role of someone as important as Shoaib Malik is extremely important in such matches. As a senior he needs to not only perform well but also help youngsters cope with the pressure as well,” he said to The Express Tribune.