Image Credit: Twitter/Associated Press of Pakistan/PCB
Sunday, May 16: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik slammed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the selection process of the players. He claimed that each one of the players selected on basis of their contacts and not on their skills. Shoaib also said that he will feel more regretful if he won’t take a stand and speak on behalf of his fellow cricketers.
In a series of tweet veteran, Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq quoted Shoaib Malik as, “We have a system of liking and disliking in our cricket, which is something that is present in the rest of the world as well but seems to be a bit more in our culture. The day things change in our cricket system where more importance is given to skills rather than who a person knows, only then will things improve.”
He also added that players are not included in the recent squad that Babar wanted to pick. Sadiq wrote, “In the recent squad there were many players who Babar wanted to pick, but they weren’t selected. Everyone has their opinions but the final decision on selection should be that of the captain because it’s he who will fight it out on the ground he with his team.”
Shoaib Malik "In the recent squad there were many players who Babar wanted to pick, but they weren't selected. Everyone has their opinions but the final decision on selection should be that of the captain because it's he who will fight it out on the ground with his team" #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 15, 2021
Shoaib Malik "Whatever is in my fate is in the hands of the Almighty and not in any person's control. I will have no regrets if I am not asked to play again, but I would have felt more regret if I had not spoken up on behalf of my fellow cricketers" #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 15, 2021
Shoaib Malik "I played under many captains who would make their own bold decisions, these were guys like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq & Shahid Afridi. To be a captain & just please others will not work – they will never be happy & you won't last as captain" #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 15, 2021
“I’m not against Misbah, he was an excellent cricketer and a good human and I respect him a lot. But I feel Misbah needed more time and he should have been asked to coach at the domestic level and then maybe brought in as Pakistan coach.
Just after the 2019 World Cup, Shoaib Malik retired from ODI cricket. He played his last international T20 series against England in September last year.