Former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik has set the 2019 World Cup as his final 50-over tournament but insisted on continuing in the shortest format till the ICC World T20 in Australia in 2020.
The 36-year old all-rounder is three matches away from tying his former teammate Shahid Afridi’s record as the most capped Pakistan player in T20Is.
“The 2019 World Cup is my last World Cup, but I want to play in the World T20 in 2020; that is my goal for Twenty20 cricket,” Malik was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.
“These are the two big goals which I’m looking at; let’s see how it goes. If I’m consistently performing, then I want to play these two World Cups,” he added.
Also read: Mitchell McClenaghan and Luke Ronchi complete ICC World XI Squad
Malik, whose next assignment is with the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which runs from August to September, is excited at the prospect of playing in pitches resembling the conditions in the subcontinent.
“Guyana is more like you’re playing in the subcontinent, I think,” he said.
“If you’re playing for a new team the expectations are a lot from you. When they have seen someone that did well for a longer run the expectations are obviously high,” added Malik, who previously played for the Barbados Tridents for five years and helped them to the title in 2014.
Also read: Umar Akmal Accuses Waqar Younis For His Dismal Career
The 36-year-old all-rounder also said that he will miss Barbados Tridents.
Speaking on his former team, Malik quoted, “Being alone in Barbados, still you don’t feel as if you’re alone in Barbados. You have people around you, and I think the whole five years is something which I’m going to miss. But I’m sure we’ll have a game in Barbados and that will cover some of my missing parts.”