Shoaib Malik had announced last year that he will retire from ODIs after the ICC World Cup 2019 and with Pakistan failing to qualify for the last four, legendary Wasim Akram said there is no need for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to hand him a farewell match before he walks into the sunset.
Malik went through a wretched form in the tournament and featured in just three games for the 1992 champions. In three outings, he had scores of 8, 0 and 0. Keeping these underwhelming performances in mind, Akram said handing someone a farewell match can happen in club cricket but not on international level.
“Of course, he had announced that he will retire after the World Cup. Unfortunately, it has not ended on a high note. I think he deserved to end his career on a high as he has done a lot for Pakistan cricket,” Akram said while speaking to a Pakistani journalist.
“He did not play many matches in the World Cup. He got out twice on duck, but this can happen to any player. We should always remember his services as he has won Pakistan many matches. He is a nice guy, so let’s send him a nice farewell, for once. I know he could not perform in this World Cup, but he has performed over the years for Pakistan.
“This is not club cricket where you can ask a player to play a one-day match. We can rather organize a farewell dinner for him,” Akram added.
Malik wasn’t selected to play in Pakistan’s last group stage clash against Bangladesh, thus ending his hopes of finishing his ODI career on a high. In 287 ODIs, Malik scored 7958 runs and took 158 wickets.
