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"I will have no regrets if I am not asked to play again for Pakistan" : Shoaib Malik

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Shoaib Malik speaking in a TV interview on ARY

Selection policies

"Anyone who says that he is not saddened after not being part of a touring squad will be lying"

"We have a system of liking and disliking which is something true in the rest of the world as well but seems to be a bit more in our culture"

"This is why, not only in cricket but we also lag behind others in other fields of life also"


Pakistan Cricket System

"The day things change in our system where more importance is given to skills rather than who a person knows (contacts), then things will improve"

"Of course this contact system cannot be eliminated completely so even a system where a 30-70 split for contacts-skills will be fine - At the moment, its the other way!"

"When Imran Khan became the PM, the country was in a state where there were other pressing problems apart from what was happening in sports; A lot of people felt that as an athlete, Imran Khan will come to power and improve the area of sports immediately - this is how a common man would think but in my view, there are bigger issues to resolve than just sports in Pakistan"

"PM Imran Khan did take some good decisions though, as he brought in Wasim Khan to improve Pakistan cricket; This was a very good decision and I feel that better things can happen if he is given full authority to do as he wishes"


Babar Azam's lack of influence in selection

"Babar Azam is like a younger brother to me, he has played a lot of cricket under me and also alongside myself so I am aware of his nature; so when he does take decisions (by himself), I will know that straight away, and I won't make any statements about it also"

"In the recent side that was selected, there were many cricketers who Babar wanted to have in his side; He wanted Imam, Haris, Imad, Amir, Wahab - but they are not part of the squad" [Not sure about why Amir mentioned as he has retired]

"So from what I know of Babar, these players would fit in the team combination that he had in his mind"

"Look there is nothing wrong with advice - everyone has their own opinions but the final decision on the selection of the side should be that of the captain alone because it's the captain who will fight it out on the ground with his team"

"Look at all teams around the world and wherever the captain runs the show, that team is on top; I have asked English players about this and they told me that the final decision on selection of the side is with Eoin Morgan"


Separate coaches for white-ball and red-ball

"I am not against anyone, but I have played for so many years for Pakistan so I can put forward my suggestions to say that this how I feel things can improve"

"If you have a white-ball coach who is an international (overseas) then that would be much better for us; This is because such coaches understand the psyche of players much better - our coaches don't always want the best for their players due to ego issues; So they may be worried that a certain player's record could come close or become better than you (as a coach)"

"In field of cricket there are ups and downs but (a good) coach will give you not just one or two but more chances"


Relationship with Misbah

"It's not a problem that Misbah is not bringing me in the side, as he must know better; I have no regrets about anything, I am sitting here today on behalf of cricketers who are struggling; Bring me back into the side or not - it doesn't matter to me; I respect everyone and if they feel I am needed for the side then bring me on"

"The statement that I made (on Twitter) was not done to show that I am against Misbah; That is not true; If I meet him, I will be the first one to say salam to him and our relationship will always be good"


His Own Future

"Cricketers have a lot of insecurities and when I tweeted those comments, a lot of people said that I had burnt my boats? I don't believe that as my faith is in Allah and in my skills, and on my hard work"

"Whatever is in my fate is in the hands of the Almighty and not in any human's control - I will have no regrets if I am not asked to play again; I would have felt more regret if I had not spoken on behalf of my fellow cricketers"

"I have in my mind to play in the T20 World Cup this year - I am working hard for that; As far as the T20 World Cup next year is concerned, its possible that we may have other players ready for that so I will see what I want to do after this year's T20 World Cup"


Selecting players too soon

"Do select players based on PSL as that is a good tournament and there is a lot of exposure but at least see a player's performances in 2 editions of the tournament to see how consistent he is; Don't select players based on good performances in 1 bowling spell, or one innings"

"So, assume if you do select someone due to an exceptional performance in PSL, then give him more chances and not discard him after one bad performance and say, we selected him too early"

"If you are selecting a bowler from PSL who has bowled at 140kph, he only knows how to bowl 4 overs, he has no idea how to bowl in a 5th over and so one"

"Only when your domestic cricket is strong will you get a good product from it who can play at the international level"


Misbah as Head Coach

"When Misbah was given all three positions, I was in favour of that because he had stopped playing cricket very recently and he would have power with him; However, he had no experience as a coach but I still felt he would be in control of matters"

"I had been very quiet on this matter because just like a cricketer comes into the national side and learns the trade, the same way Misbah would learn over time as well; But I am not seeing that and this is because I am getting a lot of feedback from cricketers who are telling me all this; I only spoke (on Twitter) now because it was needed - it was really needed"

"I am not against Misbah - it was me in the 2007 World Cup who brought him on and he was an excellent cricketer and a good human, I respect him a lot"

"But I feel Misbah needs more time and he should be asked to coach at the domestic level and then by all means, bring him back to the Pakistan side"


Important period in Pakistan cricket

"Down the line, we have to play 2 T20 World Cups and then we have a 2023 World Cup and these are very important 3 years for us"

"We have a new captain, and I totally agree that he should be captain for all formats and this is what I had advised the PCB and they did act on that advice"

"But now it's Babar's responsibility to make a team of his liking for each of the formats"

"When I took the decision to retire from Tests, I did that knowing that players like Babar and Haris were ready to take my place; I didn't want to drag my career in 3 formats; Its important to leave at the right time"

"I feel that Mohammad Hafeez is needed in the side - when we have an issue in the middle-order in ODI side then he must be played in the side; Also ask Hafeez to look after work with the other middle order batsmen with an eye on the 2023 World Cup; This is how we can also use experienced cricketers"


Waqar as a bowler versus Waqar as Coach

"If I give my true opinion then there could be some hurt; But to be honest, he wasn't good in the beginning, but he is a lot better now"


Quickfire Q&A

"Imam should be in the Test squad for the main reason that he is young, and the record he has in ODIs will allow him to do consistently well in Tests also"

"Babar Azam is currently Pakistan's best batsman without any doubt"

"What Shahid Afridi in his book that it was too early to make me a captain in 2007 was correct; I didn't understand things so well at that time, if I did, I would not have accepted to take on captaincy"

"I have a complaint about Sarfaraz which I have told him about also, is that he should have had 6-7 cricketers in his side who could win matches for him - so such players should not be let go, regardless of ups and downs along the way"

"I have played under many captains who used to take their own decisions, these were players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi; To become a captain and look to please others will not work - they will never be happy and you won't last as captain"

"I rate Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam in T20s in that order; when it comes to ODIs, its Virat, Gayle and Babar"

"In Tests, best Pakistan batsmen I've played with were Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan"

"I have said many thing today and taken some names on this show but I have no personal differences with those people and I apologize if they may have been hurt by what I said; I only said things that I feel can bring improvement to our cricket; I have no hard feelings against anyone and this will always be the case; I will always be there if my help is ever needed in whatever capacity"
 
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Ironic that a person who has benefitted so much from the like/dislike system is now complaining about it (now that he is on the outside looking in). The usual story in our system.
 
Think Malik will not be featuring in any Pak shirt now.
 
Think Malik will not be featuring in any Pak shirt now.

Doubt it, Pakistan will always crawl back to Malik.

Some things were quite unnecessary, I get that he's frustrated but a senior player like him needs to weigh his words before he speaks.

I do agree with the part about Babar not making decisions, Misbah exposed himself in a recent press conference that he makes the selections, not Babar.
 
Lol this is coming from a guy who was literallly a puppet of dr naseem ashraf :)))
 
The issue here is maliks own ego.

The fact that he had to mention that he bought back misbah in 2007 shows that malik doesnt like the fact that his junior decides his future.

This is what annoys malik and which is why he left the test side when misbah was still captain.
 
He should look back at his performance from 2019 wc and retire. But he's never a been a very sharp individual
 
In india there is a famous quote “Aur option b kya hai Mitooon”. All thanks to misbah , even when he was the skipper, Pakistan’s goals were shortsighted. No emphasis on building a bench strength. Precisely why Players like Hafeez and Malik seem indispensable in this day and age.
 
Some interesting points though from Malik.

The Babar captain quotes, back up what some of us have been saying for a while, that Babar really has been installed as a dummy captain and the key decisions are being made by others.
 
Malik is wayyy past his best days . . but this inept, directionless, and frankly the most abysmal selection team (M. Wasim and team combined with coaching staff) you'll ever come across had more or less opened the door for Malik to walk right back in due to their frivolous selection decisions leaving the team with no middle order . . Malik shot himself in the foot here (could have saved his rant for after the world cup) . . he was almost a sure shot inclusion in the T20 team in the coming tours . . not anymore . .
 
Will Malik be good as a coach for Pakistan? Seems to talk a good game.
 
Will Malik be good as a coach for Pakistan? Seems to talk a good game.

Had no qualifications or experience as a coach. Also he was involved in plenty of ‘grouping’ accusations in the past. Let him be.

We need a good foreign coach. No one in Pakistan cuts it
 
"In the recent side that was selected, there were many cricketers who Babar wanted to have in his side; He wanted Imam, Haris, Imad, Amir, Wahab - but they are not part of the squad" [Not sure about why Amir mentioned as he has retired]

Why do people talk like they've been discarded forever? Only in Pakistan do people lose all their marbles anytime a player is dropped. Meanwhile, other teams experiment all the time so you have various combinations and proper injury replacement players if the situation arises. Haris & Imad will be back.

If the selection committee ignored Babar on wanting Wahab & Amir, then good. Wahab is terrible in every format. Amir just isn't as effective with the amount of pace he has dropped and well, the WC is not in England/NZ/SA which would be more suited to his bowling.

Regarding Malik, he does make good points regarding players being selected too soon due to PSL. It's an obvious problem and it's dumb because it's short sample size and it's basically slightly suped up version of domestic T20.

I do think there is a chance Malik still makes the WC squad and I know people will groan at the idea but it is in India. Originally when it was supposed to be in Australia, it made all the sense to discard him completely but he is still very good vs spin and Pakistan middle order is so bad. He could make sense even if I don't love the idea. My issue would be if he is selected and performs reasonably well, he will get selected again the following year when its in Australia and that will be a disaster. So if they do select, just let him know this is his last WC and that's it. Ideally, I'd prefer other options and if Haider figures it out, I would much rather prefer him.
 
Ironic that this is Shoaib Malik talking. A player who debuted in the late 90's and still thinks he warrants a place in the team.
 
Some interesting points though from Malik.

The Babar captain quotes, back up what some of us have been saying for a while, that Babar really has been installed as a dummy captain and the key decisions are being made by others.

I have to disagree here.
Babar needs to grow into the role and gain experience as a captain. If he can do that then all this talk of dummy captain will be gone.

It's down to Babar how he is perceived
 
Really disappointing comments from an active player. I have been a fan of Malik since his return; probably more of a fan than most people. But I can totally understand now why he has a reputation of being a toxic personality in the dressing room.
 
Some interesting points though from Malik.

The Babar captain quotes, back up what some of us have been saying for a while, that Babar really has been installed as a dummy captain and the key decisions are being made by others.

If what we read about Babar being retro and looking backwards for his players, then I, for one is glad that he isnt having much say. What kind of Captain talks about playing without fear and then playing guys a decade past their sell by date.
 
Ironic that this is Shoaib Malik talking. A player who debuted in the late 90's and still thinks he warrants a place in the team.

He's still extremely fit but most importantly he is comfortably better than the majority of batsmen we have in domestics for t20's.

I don't think people can accept how empty the talent cupboard is in Pakistan. There's a reason Malik and Hafeez are two geratric players with middling careers yet they are still relevant today.
 
If what we read about Babar being retro and looking backwards for his players, then I, for one is glad that he isnt having much say. What kind of Captain talks about playing without fear and then playing guys a decade past their sell by date.

Seems that Malik is suggesting there is no compromise and that Babar isn't getting any say at all perhaps.
 
"But I feel Misbah needs more time and he should be asked to coach at the domestic level and then by all means, bring him back to the Pakistan side"


I guess that is what many said at the time of his appointment as well. I can understand that the domestic structure was still not fully established back then but, from now on there would be no excuses to not have a successful coach from domestic cricket to be promoted to the national setup unless an experienced international coach is being brought in rather than bringing someone without any experience.
 
Seems that Malik is suggesting there is no compromise and that Babar isn't getting any say at all perhaps.

Basically, Babar has told him that he wants Malik in the team but Misbah won't allow it. Misbah is right and Babar is worryingly wrong. Forever, we are looking backwards, we have these useless players at the international level but because of the experience gained, become beasts at the Domestic level. We then rinse and repeat this terrible, panicky selection policy like a dog chasing its own tail. What Babar needs to remember is that only a couple of the young players have to come off, and we are onto something.
 
Basically, Babar has told him that he wants Malik in the team but Misbah won't allow it. Misbah is right and Babar is worryingly wrong. Forever, we are looking backwards, we have these useless players at the international level but because of the experience gained, become beasts at the Domestic level. We then rinse and repeat this terrible, panicky selection policy like a dog chasing its own tail. What Babar needs to remember is that only a couple of the young players have to come off, and we are onto something.

I’m with Misbah if we don’t bring back leaky Wahab and deadwood Malik. I’d rather give a chance to Arshad Iqbal along with Sohaib Moqsood.
 
Hopefully this is the end of malik now and we can move on I for one have had enough of this mediocre player being part of the team for so long
 
Only regret for fans is an average player like you represented our national side for so long. Please retire from international cricket then keep playing in every T20 tournament until you are of 100 years. I never want to see you in a Pak shirt again. Some Pak fans here support your returning to the national side:usman
 
The fact that he said he is speaking on behalf of other cricketers is a little worrying. So are we to believe that others in the squad also believe the same about Misbah?
 
So Baber wants him but Misbah is self indulging into the selection matters?
And if I have to take a wild guess, Muhammad Wasim is standing by Misbah.

With all these public statements, Malik seems to have gotten the message that it’s over!
 
Looking at our middle order, I'd have Malik over the likes of Asif Ali and Danish Aziz anyday. Superior batsman and can bowl few overs as well.
 
I think his point about team selection is actually backed up by Babar himself so he is talking some truth here. He also makes some other valid points which were already common knowledge such as too many players got picket over 3/4 good matches in PSL rather than looking at their over all performances over longer period / record.

Also his comments on waqar are valid and common knowledge he is a poor coach and no bowler has actually improved under his watch. When he was the main coach in the past that was a complete disaster too. Even the likes of Hasan Ali has to go away and get his form back in domestic and sort out technical issues himself more recently the new debutants such as naseem shah was not able to get any help or plan from him.
 
Yes Malik, Neither will I have any regret if you’re not picked anymore for Pakistan. We finally won’t see you bring all your experience to the fore and make your customary 50 against UAE and SL and give your wicket away in pressure situation vs a team with 1-2 fast bowlers.
 
It shouldn't be either or it should be neither. How about none of these useless batsman and keep looking until we find some players.

Well there’s not much time left to “find players” they should’ve started doing that after the 2019 World Cup but Misbah was too busy with his 4 roles the PCB handed him. This is on the PCB and management because they were so incompetent. Now they have 2 t20 world cups coming up and 2023 doesn’t look to far away with how fast time is going and I don’t think pak will be able to compete with their squads I’ve seen recently. Considering the t20 world cups in India/uae I’d definitely pick Malik or Ifthikar over hacks like danish, asif and Khusdil. Atleast they can hold a bat and get the side through to a decent total and bowl a few useful overs. But I guess somethings don’t change in Pakistan being likes and dislikes.
 
Well there’s not much time left to “find players” they should’ve started doing that after the 2019 World Cup but Misbah was too busy with his 4 roles the PCB handed him. This is on the PCB and management because they were so incompetent. Now they have 2 t20 world cups coming up and 2023 doesn’t look to far away with how fast time is going and I don’t think pak will be able to compete with their squads I’ve seen recently. Considering the t20 world cups in India/uae I’d definitely pick Malik or Ifthikar over hacks like danish, asif and Khusdil. Atleast they can hold a bat and get the side through to a decent total and bowl a few useful overs. But I guess somethings don’t change in Pakistan being likes and dislikes.

Malik shouldn't be any conversation.
 
Is he better than the ones we already tried Khushdil,asif ali,Danish aziz of course he is

Wrong question? The question should be why is such a mediocre player still being talked about nearly a decade after he is past his sell by date. A truly dreadful player
 
Wrong question? The question should be why is such a mediocre player still being talked about nearly a decade after he is past his sell by date. A truly dreadful player

Because Pakistan doesn't have the batting talent hence why he has been given a long run and if they did have the talent it was wasted by brainless players or clueless mananagement.

Just remember the name of rafatullah
 
Is he better than the ones we already tried Khushdil,asif ali,Danish aziz of course he is

This sadly holds a lot of truth.
Our so called “new and young talent pool” is such low class and feeble that you automatically yearn to look back and feel that perhaps some of the older players who debuted 20 years ago, are still better!
 
Even in India he could be effective, more effective than some of his competitors perhaps.

Let's look at who his competitors are.

Iftikhar - tried and dropped (probably a little harsh considering that he did play some good knocks).

Khushdil - absolutely abysmal.

Haider - probably talented but unable to perform.

Talat - couldn't play spin well.

None of those names worked. Yes, Malik is old but if he can perform in the PSL, we should keep him available as an option.

Sohaib Maqsood looks like another option, but apart from them, the closet is empty.
 
Let's look at who his competitors are.

Iftikhar - tried and dropped (probably a little harsh considering that he did play some good knocks).

Khushdil - absolutely abysmal.

Haider - probably talented but unable to perform.

Talat - couldn't play spin well.

None of those names worked. Yes, Malik is old but if he can perform in the PSL, we should keep him available as an option.

Sohaib Maqsood looks like another option, but apart from them, the closet is empty.

Another bare cupboard :)
 
Wrong question? The question should be why is such a mediocre player still being talked about nearly a decade after he is past his sell by date. A truly dreadful player

It’s actually the right question. If you’re a fan of a team, you want your best players selected. Is Malik mediocre, maybe. Is Malik better than Khushdil, Ifthikar, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali etc, YES.

I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to understand, play your best xi, even if they’re mediocre, they’re the best we’ve got.🤦🏻*♂️
 
Let's look at who his competitors are.

Iftikhar - tried and dropped (probably a little harsh considering that he did play some good knocks).

Khushdil - absolutely abysmal.

Haider - probably talented but unable to perform.

Talat - couldn't play spin well.

None of those names worked. Yes, Malik is old but if he can perform in the PSL, we should keep him available as an option.

Sohaib Maqsood looks like another option, but apart from them, the closet is empty.

There are two vacancies in the middle order, so Malik's chances to be in the top 2 out of the 5 names mentioned is pretty good.
 
Another bare cupboard :)

To replace someone like Hafeez or Malik, you need a proper middle order batsman. We don't have any at the moment which is why we're trying to replace them with wannabe all-rounders who have no batting capacity.

If our middle order isn't sorted, we will be extremely vulnerable in the T20 World Cup.
 
This sadly holds a lot of truth.
Our so called “new and young talent pool” is such low class and feeble that you automatically yearn to look back and feel that perhaps some of the older players who debuted 20 years ago, are still better!

To be honest haider Ali,Abdullah shafique,saud shakeel,Rohail nazir look technically OK and 3 out of the 5 will properly have a decent career
 
There are two vacancies in the middle order, so Malik's chances to be in the top 2 out of the 5 names mentioned is pretty good.

The thing is malik only wants to bat at 4 and that's occupied by hafeez if he isn't willing to bat in any other position then I would not pick him.
 
To replace someone like Hafeez or Malik, you need a proper middle order batsman. We don't have any at the moment which is why we're trying to replace them with wannabe all-rounders who have no batting capacity.

If our middle order isn't sorted, we will be extremely vulnerable in the T20 World Cup.

You already have babar and rizwan do we really need a proper batesman ?
 
Bringing malik back for the hundredth time serves no purpose whatsoever

He was dropped for a reason What he brings to the table isnt good enough Long term another option is also required Malik is 40

And you ll only find a replacement if you keep looking and giving players chances Not by going back to 40yr old has been
 
Regrets?
This guys should thank his lucky stars that he represented his country for so long despite being a distinctly average cricketer.
 
You already have babar and rizwan do we really need a proper batesman ?

Yes, each team right now has 3 proper batsmen. Around those 3 batsmen, they have built their hitters and finishers.

Find another batsman who can give you 30+ runs at a 130+ SR and you have the ability to take 2 or more hard-hitting batsmen in the middle order.
 
The thing is malik only wants to bat at 4 and that's occupied by hafeez if he isn't willing to bat in any other position then I would not pick him.

Very much agree. If Malik is going to be stubborn and refuse to bat at 5 then he should not be picked. While Malik is good enough to make the XI he isn't going to dislodge Hafeez 2.0 at his favoured position.
 
Bringing malik back for the hundredth time serves no purpose whatsoever

He was dropped for a reason What he brings to the table isnt good enough Long term another option is also required Malik is 40

And you ll only find a replacement if you keep looking and giving players chances Not by going back to 40yr old has been

This is just cliche at this point, because everyone knows what the talent situation is like in Pakistan at the moment.
 
Touching upon his captaincy stint, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi recently stated that he was mulling retirement in 2009 and that he was handed the captaincy prematurely.

“I decided not to play cricket anymore,” he told Samaa TV. “Shoaib Malik had become the captain and there was a lot of politics going on within the team," he added.

Responding to Afridi's comments, 39-year-old Malik said that Afridi is absolutely correct.

"I don't know what my captaincy had to do with his retirement, I think he wrote about that in his book. I was asked the same question earlier and I said that if he said I was made rushed into captaincy, he is absolutely right. In a lot of interviews, I have said that if I was as wise in 2007 as I am today, I would have never accepted the offer,"

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...o-shahid-afridi-s-claims-101622619959089.html
 
Very much agree. If Malik is going to be stubborn and refuse to bat at 5 then he should not be picked. While Malik is good enough to make the XI he isn't going to dislodge Hafeez 2.0 at his favoured position.

I have heard that malik now has decided he wouldn't mind batting at 5 proberly because he knows he has no chance batting at 4.
 
Yes, each team right now has 3 proper batsmen. Around those 3 batsmen, they have built their hitters and finishers.

Find another batsman who can give you 30+ runs at a 130+ SR and you have the ability to take 2 or more hard-hitting batsmen in the middle order.

3 proper Batesman I reakon they have 2 thou.

Pakistan problem is that the openers currently are proper bateman and then they had hafeez who is not a slogger this may work In UAE or asain conditions but won't work on flat wickets.
 
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