Star Batsman Shoaib Malik made his return in the national Team of Pakistan today, after world cup 2019 with an undefeated half century.

Shoaib Malik managed to score 58 runs on 45 balls against Bangladesh in a T 20 match played at Gadhafi stadium Lahore.

Here, we take a look back to his career as he is the only active player from last century, always manage to create his place in international cricket.

Shoaib Malik’s early life and career

Malik was born in Sialkot – a city in Pakistan’s largest province Punjab. He initially played tape-ball cricket in the streets as a child.

Later on, he began playing cricket seriously in 1993/94 when he attended Imran Khan’s coaching clinics in Sialkot.

At the age of 17, Shoaib against West Indies in October 1999. He was off-break spinner and scalped 2 wickets in his first game. But with time, batting took precedence and the first time he was promoted to number 4 in the batting order, Shoaib grabbed the bull by its horns and got a hundred against West Indies at Sharjah.

A couple of games later, he was asked to open and he vindicated the move with a splendorous ton against the Kiwis at Lahore.

Despite having a marital relation, Shoaib Malik scores best against India. The standouts being – 143 in 2004 at Colombo, Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup game and a majestic 128, where he literally ‘cut’ his way through the Indian bowling attack to dismantle them in a Champions Trophy game in 2009 at Centurion.

Malik’s ODI average against India is almost 50, compared to his career average which is in the mid-30s.

Test Career

Shoaib Malik is always being expected to perform in Test matches, but he couldn’t manage his pace in whites. He debuted in 2001 and got retired in 2015 against England.

His greatest moment as a Test player though was a dogged 148* off 369 balls against Sri Lanka in 2006, where he batted an entire day to save the day for Pakistan. That was the first of the three tons he scored in the whites in his 35 appearances, with an average of 35.14 to end.

He led Pakistan to the finale in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and was a key member of the T20 World Cup triumph in 2009 in England.

Though he was out of favour for the ODIs for a period of 2 years after the Champions Trophy in 2013, it has never been the case in the shortest format.

He plays for Karachi Kings in the PSL and has also played in the BBL and CPL for Hobart Hurricanes and Barbados Tridents respectively.

The last World Cup

Shoaib Malik confirmed that the 2019 World Cup would be his last global event in the 50-over-format. He only represented Pakistan once in World Cups and that was in disastrous 2007. He was probably one of the only shining light in Pakistan’s campaign as he scored a blistering 62 off 54 balls in the opening match against West India. 2019 world cup was really a triumph in his career as he didn’t score any huge number.

Malik has been 21 years, representing Pakistan in international cricket and he is the only active batsman in the world from last century, all his fellow players had been retired.

Shoaib wedds Sania Mirza

He married Indian Tennis player Sania Mirza in a traditional Hyderabadi Muslim wedding ceremony at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad, India followed by Pakistani wedding customs On 12 April 2010. Their Walima ceremony was held in Sialkot.