Veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik has announced that he will retire from ODI cricket after the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
The 36-year-old right-handed batsman announced his plans to reporters during a press conference at Lahore ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
“The 2019 World Cup is my last event of the 50-over cricket. I will try to play T20 cricket if I continue to stay fit and put up performances,” Malik said.
The veteran of 35 Tests, 261 ODIs and 98 T20Is is targeting winning the 2019 World Cup with Pakistan to sign off on a high.
“If you have made goals for yourself that keeps you running. I have made some for myself. We have already won two big events: the World T20 (in 2009) and the Champions Trophy (in 2017). The only thing left in my career to win is that 50-over World Cup. That is the thing I am looking at which makes me work hard. I have big hopes from these youngsters and myself. We are going to give our best,” Malik said.
The Pakistan batsman had already announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2015 after scoring 1,898 runs in 60 innings at an average of 35.14. He managed to score three tons in the process with a highest score of 245no against England at Sharjah.
Malik has been a stalwart for Pakistan in limited-overs cricket where he has scored 6, 975 runs in 261 ODIs and 1, 989 runs in 89 T20Is.
The Sialkot-born man has nine ODI centuries to his name including a career-best of 143 against India at the 2004 Asia Cup in Colombo.
