MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has openly criticised Shoaib Malik’s inclusion in the Quetta Gladiators squad for the Pakistan Super League season 10 (PSL X), suggesting that his place in the team is blocking opportunities for younger talent.
Shoaib Malik, who was born in 1982, began his international cricket journey back in 1999. Since his debut he has participated in more than 400 matches for Pakistan and scored above 11,000 runs across cricket sports.
Throughout his career Shoaib Malik showcased his skills as both a batsman and bowler and ended with more than 200 wickets to his name.
The former cricket player Shoaib Malik continues playing T20 Internationals even though he left Test and ODI games behind him.
At the age of 43, he remains active in franchise leagues around the globe, including the PSL. In the ongoing PSL X, Malik is representing the Quetta Gladiators.
His recent performance in a match against Lahore Qalandars, where he scored 14 runs from 15 deliveries while chasing a huge target of 220, drew sharp comments from Basit Ali.
Appearing on ARY News’ Sports Room, Basit stated that Shoaib Malik should seriously consider his future in the game. While he acknowledged Shoaib Malik’s impressive past contributions, Basit was firm in saying that the veteran no longer has the explosive power needed in modern T20 cricket, especially during high-pressure run chases.
Basit Ali went further to express disappointment that emerging players like Khawaja Nafay are being sidelined to accommodate an ageing star like Shoaib Malik.
He suggested that if experience was the sole reason behind Shoaib Malik’s selection, then legendary figures like Moeen Khan and Sir Vivian Richards might as well come out of retirement to play.
The remarks from Basit for Shoaib Malik have brought fresh attention to the T20 league’s experience-versus-youth balance controversy in the PSL and the current PSL X, which continually focuses on training new talent.
