Shoaib Malik
- Date of Birth 1982-2-1
- Role allrounder
- Batting Style right-hand bat
- Bowling Style right-arm offbreak
Debut Matches
| Format | Match | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TEST | BAN vs PAK | 2001-08-29 |
| ODI | PAK vs WI | 1999-10-14 |
| T20 | ENG vs PAK | 2006-08-28 |
| vs | 1970-01-01 |
Recent Performances
Batting Statistics
Matches
35
Innings
60
Runs
1898
Average
35.14
Strike Rate
45.67
Highest Score
245
100s
3
50s
8
Fours
239
Sixes
17
Catches
18
Bowling Statistics
Matches
35
Innings
43
Wickets
32
Average
47.46
Economy
3.36
Strike Rate
84.7
Best Figure
4/33
4 Wickets
2
5 Wickets
0
Balls Bowled
2712
Runs Conceded
1519
Batting Statistics
Matches
287
Innings
258
Runs
7534
Average
34.55
Strike Rate
81.9
Highest Score
143
100s
9
50s
44
Fours
603
Sixes
113
Catches
98
Bowling Statistics
Matches
287
Innings
217
Wickets
158
Average
39.18
Economy
4.66
Strike Rate
50.3
Best Figure
4/19
4 Wickets
1
5 Wickets
0
Balls Bowled
7958
Runs Conceded
6192
Batting Statistics
Matches
124
Innings
111
Runs
2435
Average
31.21
Strike Rate
125.64
Highest Score
75
100s
0
50s
9
Fours
196
Sixes
69
Catches
50
Bowling Statistics
Matches
124
Innings
49
Wickets
28
Average
24.1
Economy
7.1
Strike Rate
20.3
Best Figure
2/7
4 Wickets
0
5 Wickets
0
Balls Bowled
570
Runs Conceded
675
Batting Statistics
Matches
405
Innings
357
Runs
11447
Average
38.54
Strike Rate
Highest Score
143
100s
16
50s
71
Fours
Sixes
Catches
156
Bowling Statistics
Matches
405
Innings
Wickets
309
Average
33.16
Economy
4.55
Strike Rate
43.6
Best Figure
5/35
4 Wickets
7
5 Wickets
1
Balls Bowled
13498
Runs Conceded
10248
Batting Statistics
Matches
557
Innings
515
Runs
13571
Average
35.99
Strike Rate
127.24
Highest Score
95*
100s
0
50s
83
Fours
1059
Sixes
422
Catches
238
Bowling Statistics
Matches
557
Innings
302
Wickets
187
Average
27.7
Economy
7.05
Strike Rate
23.5
Best Figure
5/13
4 Wickets
1
5 Wickets
2
Balls Bowled
4404
Runs Conceded
5181
There is almost no role in a cricket side that Shoaib Malik hasn't filled, so much so that over ten years into his career, nobody is sure what his precise and best role is.
In essence, he is a batting allrounder, though he started his career as an off-break bowler. Partly the problem is that he is capable, as a batsman, of fulfilling many roles with some competence. He has had success as an opener in Tests and ODIs; he has been game-changing as a limited-overs one down and dangerous as a lower-order slogger; often he has been a stodgy middle-order bulwark. In Twenty20s, he can be brutal anywhere.
It is thus difficult to recall a definitive Malik high; was it his maiden Test hundred as an opener against Sri Lanka in Colombo? A few hands that led to an ODI series win against India in 2005-06? A Champions Trophy hundred against India?
His basic game is tight, especially in the subcontinent. He isn't pretty, though there can be pleasantness in his high, stiff-elbowed drives and lofts. Square on both sides he is precise. Further, he runs well. With his flattish, very modern off-spin always useful for more than a few overs and a wicket here and there - less so after concerns over his action - and an athletic and languid presence in the field, Malik should be far greater a sum of his parts than he actually is.
He was for long earmarked as a potential captain - the late Bob Woolmer thought him the sharpest tack in Pakistan's set-up - but a stint with the captaincy was troubled, unimaginative and ended badly. It got even worse when the board banned him for a year in March 2010 as part of its unprecedented action on senior players after a disastrous tour of Australia.
Osman Samiuddin
Osman Samiuddin