Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricketer and a former captain of the Pakistan team. He was born in Sialkot, Punjab, of Pakistan on 1 February 1982 and is a batting all-rounder like former team mate and captain Shahid Afridi.

Shoaib Malik made his ODI debut on 14 October 1999 against West Indies. He picked up two wickets in the debut match before his career drifted towards batting.

His Test debut came on 29 August 2001, against Bangladesh where Pakistan won by an innings and 264 runs. His Test career took a sharp dip and he scored his first test century only 5 years after his debut.

Malik is regarded as a flexible player. He is capable of hitting big shots but is also capable of rotating the strike with good placement. He has a strike rate of 77.23 runs per 100 balls, which compares favourably to players such as Rahul Dravid and Inzamam ul-Haq.

His most brazen display of “power hitting” came in 2003 against South Africa when he scored 82 from 41 balls. As is required of most modern players, he also has displayed good defensive batting at times.