Been on-board the Shoaib Malik support train since last year when he was dropped from the T20 team for no good reason. And a year of Pakistan giving chances to basically every batsman under the sun has only strengthened his case for a return to the T20 side.
And to his credit, he also did very well in the PSL, so its not like people can say he hasn't earned a comeback.
The only argument our fans will make against his inclusion is that he is 40.
Statistically, and logically, there is no reason to exclude Shoaib Malik from the team given the standard of players we are giving chances to.
His inclusion makes sense in more ways than people can actually comprehend.
Firstly. he came in at #3 in the PSL, the exact position where Sohaib Maqsood is playing, and the position where he hasn't produced any results yet. I will rest my final judgement on Maqsood when the tour of the West Indies concludes because those conditions are more likely to replicate UAE pitches.
Malik is among one of the only players in the world to have 10,000 T20 runs and many of them in different places around the globe. He has played against some of the world's best in the format, and that experience is invaluable when compared with someone like Hafeez, who has played literally half of what Malik has done in the T20s throughout his career. He is experienced and reliable, two luxuries we don't have in our middle-order at the moment.
Now, when it comes to playing and reading spin, I don't think there's anyone in Pakistan who can do the job better than Malik. He plays spin beautifully, it's what he has built his game around, coming on during the middle overs and keeping the runs flowing. Had Malik been on that pitch against Moeen, Rashid, and Parkinson, he would have really pushed our score along to something we could have defended.
Now, Malik is a very reliable fielder, he is very fit and athletic. He's not like one of our usual fielders who run around like salmon out of the water.
And lastly, in a situation where your main bowlers are being hit, Malik gives you an option to bowl one or two overs without getting belted around. That is invaluable in T20s, because it gives the captain the much needed flexibility with players who are renowned scatter-guns.
I don't see any logical argument to exclude Malik apart from what fans might personally feel.