Will Shoaib Malik help Pakistan's cause in the 2019 WC or are his last days around the corner?

[backfootpunch]

Shoaib Malik currently bats at 5 but for me he's a 50/50 on whether we should keep him till 2019 WC with the following reasons:

Pros:
- Excellent fitness
- Best attacker of spin in the ODI side
- Has extensive experience of playing T20s in the world so he knows how to pace an innings to perfection as we've seen many times
- Plays selflessly for the team
-Has been in excellent form after his come back into the 2015 WC

Cons:
- Getting very old and his hand eye coordination could fade by the time it is 2019 WC
- Historically has been troubled by pace bowling on faster wickets, so could be a liability in England
- Doesn't have a great record in England

Question is should he be persisted with or is it time to nuture new blood so they will be ready in time for that WC in England? Personally I'm undecided but I fear that management will get carried away by his current form but he runs on his last wheels in 2019 summer.

If Shoaib Malik is to be replaced soon then I feel his successor should be Hussain Talat who is also a destructive player of spin but also fares better against pace. At List A and domestic T20s he's done very well and we will see more of him at PSL in Feb.

Obviously it's too early to envisage whether he will be a success since this will depend on his ability to build an innings, shot selection, mental attributes and how he plays the top bowlers in the international circuit but a great prospect batting at no 5 whether it be now or after Shoaib Malik's proposed retirement in just under 2 years time.

 

[New Yorker]

Shoaib Malik currently bats at 5 but for me he's a 50/50 on whether we should keep him till 2019 WC with the following reasons:

Pros:
- Excellent fitness
- Best attacker of spin in the ODI side
- Has extensive experience of playing T20s in the world so he knows how to pace an innings to perfection as we've seen many times
- Plays selflessly for the team
-Has been in excellent form after his come back into the 2015 WC

Cons:
- Getting very old and his hand eye coordination could fade by the time it is 2019 WC
- Historically has been troubled by pace bowling on faster wickets, so could be a liability in England
- Doesn't have a great record in England

Question is should he be persisted with or is it time to nuture new blood so they will be ready in time for that WC in England? Personally I'm undecided but I fear that management will get carried away by his current form but he runs on his last wheels in 2019 summer.

If Shoaib Malik is to be replaced soon then I feel his successor should be Hussain Talat who is also a destructive player of spin but also fares better against pace. At List A and domestic T20s he's done very well and we will see more of him at PSL in Feb.

Obviously it's too early to envisage whether he will be a success since this will depend on his ability to build an innings, shot selection, mental attributes and how he plays the top bowlers in the international circuit but a great prospect batting at no 5 whether it be now or after Shoaib Malik's proposed retirement in just under 2 years time.

There's no need to crystal ball gaze. If he's the best option when the WC comes around he should play, but we need to develop those options in the meantime. It is already clear that one could construct a good ODI side replacing the aged duo of Hafeez and Malik with a combination like Haris + Yaman/Faheem/

 

[backfootpunch]

There's no need to crystal ball gaze. If he's the best option when the WC comes around he should play, but we need to develop those options in the meantime. It is already clear that one could construct a good ODI side replacing the aged duo of Hafeez and Malik with a combination like Haris + Yaman/Faheem/

That's easy to say but he will be 37 in the WC and even the greats in the game have struggled at that age. A back up option has to be there if he struggles and the best way to achieve this would be to experiment with a couple of other batters in the bilaterals.

 

[Azeem Zafar]

Malik will definitely play WC'19 unless he gets injured, team management would ask for his experience in any case. Though it is very unlikely that he'll make a major contribution in WC campaign, his record in England is abysmal & he's not a big match player. Let's just hope right now that we get rid of Hafeez somehow. WC'19 will be like a marathon (head to head matches) unlike CT'17 where a drop catch took us to Semi's. Hafeez will totally wreck our campaign there. Talat/Umar Amin/Haris should be played regularly in his place to give them maximum exposure before WC.

 

[MMHS]

I think, Malik is a must for WC 2019 squad - he might struggle in UK, for that there should be an option in squad for his replacement; but for squad Malik is a must for the experience, calmness and selfless effort he brings to the team. Malik is one guy who won't use younger players to protect him and he won't cost team for personal gain - one such player is essential in the squad. But, if he maintains his current rich form, he will make starting XI of probably every teams in world for his ability to maneuver singles in middle overs and destroy spinners at any time.

On top of that, Sarfraz should use him for few overs every match, particularly when lefties are batting.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Malik would most definitely play for Pakistan in the world cup, however if we talking about his impact on the tournament then it would be close to nothing of significance as has been his career.

I like Malik's attitude and professionalism on and off the field, but we should accept the fact that he never was talented enough to play for almost 20 years. He doesn't have an overall batsman's game, never was a destructive of main batter in the side, career filled with controversies too, no individual highlight in his 20 year career.

Malik type of players are a result of Inzi's era where mediocrity prospered, controversies happened, ttf origins, etc. Inzi's era as a captain is still haunting us with players like Hafeez, Kamran, Malik, Butt, etc. These players mentioned although been playing the game since early 00s haven't got any legacy to be proud of. Any player if playing for so long would come up with some sort of his legacy which would define him, but these players were/are so mediocre that mediocrity has defined their careers.

I wish Malik best of luck for the world cup but being a realist I don't expect anything great from him.