Published: Nov 03, 2015, 07:15 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 03, 2015, 11:56 PM (IST)
Shoaib Malik announced his retirement from Test cricket at the end of the three-Test series against England at the end of Day Three of the final Test at Sharjah. Malik, who has played 34 Tests in his 14-year career so far, was dismissed for a golden duck during Pakistan‘s second innings, with the hosts reaching a score of 146 for 3 at the end of the day’s play. Malik, who made a terrific comeback to the Test side with a 245 in the first Test at Abu Dhabi, has stated that he intends to focus on One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I), in which he has experienced a good run of form in recent times. SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2015, 3rd Test in Sharjah
“I could have played on but this is the right time for me to retire from this format. I’d like to conclude on 2019 World Cup. I wanna give time to my family and that’s why I retired from Test Cricket,” Malik was quoted as saying according to reports in the post-match press conference.
“Good time to give youngsters a chance. People like Babar Azam, Haris Sohail etc are good players. They can learn and improve. I may still play First-Cass cricket because I love playing the game,” added the 33-year-old. Even Mohammad Hafeez expressed surprise after Rameez Raja broke the news to him during the post-match interview.
Earlier in the day, Hafeez struck a flamboyant 97 not out to give Pakistan the edge over England at the end of Day Three. The Pakistan opener brought up his fifty for the 13th time in his Test career as the hosts finished on a score of 146 for 3 after 53 overs at stumps, with Rahat Ali yet to get off the mark at the other end. The hosts thus gained a lead of 74 at the end of day’s play after bowling England out for 306 in their first innings, with Malik recording career-best figures of 4 for 33 to lead the bowling figures.
