Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik (Punjabi, Urdu: شعیب ملک‎) (born 1 February 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistani side. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. On 3 November 2015, he announced his retirement from Test cricket and says his focus is to play in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Shoaib Malik has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket. His bowling action has come under scrutiny (particularly his doosra) but he has had elbow surgery to correct this. Malik was ranked second, behind teammate Shahid Afridi, in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings in June 2008 In March 2010, Malik received a one-year ban from international cricket from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); the ban was overturned two months later.

Early career

Shoaib Malik first played tape-ball cricket in the streets as a child. He began playing cricket seriously in 1993/94 when he attended Imran Khan's coaching clinics in Sialkot. He began as a batsman, and developed his bowling later. He used to get in trouble with his family for playing cricket, as they wanted him to focus on his education. In 1996, Malik attended trials for the U-15 World Cup. He was selected in the squad for his bowling.