Name: Shoaib Malik

Birth date: 1982-02-01

Hometown: Lahore

Teams: Pakistan, Asia XI, Delhi Daredevils, Gloucestershire, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Reserves, Sialkot Cricket Association

Debut: 14th Oct 1999

ODI Best: 148* | 4-42

Test Best: 143 | 4-19

Shoaib Malik is a right handed batsman and right arm off spin bowler and former captain of the Pakistan side.

The boy from Sialkot made his debut against the West Indies in 1999 (ODI). He was selected in the team as a bowler (he is a offspinner whose bowling style has striking similarities to Saqlain Mushtaq). His bowling however is no longer as effective as when he started partly due to having to change his action, which was reported twice at International level (October 2004 and November 2005) and due to his changing role in the side where his batting has overtaken his bowling.

Shoaib Malik has played 185 matches in ODI’s in which he has scored 5038 runs at an healthy average of 34.98 and taken 129 wickets at an average of 36.62.

He has batted in every position in ODI’s which is an astonishing feat as he was very much a tailender when he first came on the International scene. This is testament to his versatility and dedication to the cause. He started to show his capabilities with the bat from 2002 onwards but majority of those innings were played at 6 in the batting order. It was in the middle of 2004 when he transformed from a decent batsman to a very good batsman. The captain and coach at the time, Inzamam-ul-Haq and the late Bob Woolmer, made the decision to play Shoaib Malik at one down, he excelled in this role and announced his batting credentials to the world. For the remainder of that year he played 17 innings (15 innings at one down and 2 innings at 4) and he averaged just under 50. The standout innings was his 143 against arch rivals India in Colombo. He continued to play there until around 2006 where he briefly played as an opener and then moved back down the order.

His Test debut came in 2001 against Bangladesh but he didn’t get a run in the test side. It was his ODI form resulted in him being given an opportunity in the Test side as a batsman. He was given a chance against Sri Lanka in 2004 where he performed reasonably well down the order. He was moved up the order and asked to open against the West Indies in June 2005, he was given 6 games as an opener where he did a good job. The highlight was his superb 148* against Sri Lanka in Colombo which helped Pakistan draw the match. However he has moved down the order since then.

He has played 26 Test matches scoring 1394 runs at an average of 38.72 and taking 17 wickets at an average of 67.82, his bowling figures in Test cricket reflects the fact he has been used primarily as a batsman.

After the disastrous 2007 World Cup in for Pakistan, Shoaib Malik was announced as Captain after the role had been rejected by Younis Khan. It was brave of him to accept a role that is one of the toughest in world sport but Shoaib Malik has shown so far in his career that he is prepared to give things a go.

His captaincy came under an immense amount of criticism from ex-players, pundits and fans for being too stagnant. He was accused of being too laid back and defensive. He had a mixed record as a Captain, highlights were the performance in the inaugural Twenty2O World Cup leading up to the final and beating arch rivals India in the Kitply Final in June 2008. The low points would be the performance in the Asia Cup 2008 and the record defeat at home to Sri Lanka in the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka which ultimately led to his dismissal as skipper.

He now is facing similar challenges to maintain his spot in the side, with up and coming players such as Fawad Alam and Umar Akmal performing well. However he is a fighter and you wouldnt put it past him to keep his spot in the squad for many years to come and possibly even come back to captain Pakistan once again.