Veteran Pakistan batter Shoaib Malik has said that he is no longer interested in playing for the Pakistan cricket team. Malik was not a part of the Pakistan squad that went to the T20 World Cup 2024 and exited from the group phase with losses to the USA and India as well. Malik also shared that he has enjoyed every moment that he has played for the Pakistan team in the past as well. While he hasn’t announced his retirement from the T20I format, he doesn’t want to keep himself in contention for future selections too.

Shoaib Malik told Cricket Pakistan: “I am happy and satisfied after playing for so many years and no, I am not interested in representing Pakistan anymore. I have already retired from two formats and the one format that is remaining, I enjoy playing in the leagues wherever I get the opportunity.”

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Shoaib Malik had also said in his past interviews too that when he retired, it would be from all forms of cricket as well. He added that he was no longer interested in playing for the national team. He has also criticised Pakistan captain Babar Azam, especially after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup debacle.

“Ups and downs are a part of life, especially when you are a cricketer from the subcontinent. He needs to stay strong during this time. As for his captaincy, my firm stance is that he should play only as a player. That’s my opinion. When he plays as a player, he can do wonders for the team. But in my opinion, he should stay away from leadership,” Shoaib Malik added. “According to today’s fearless cricket, Fakhar Zaman should be considered for white ball captaincy because he has the sense and leadership capacity for it.”