Shoaib Malik "Energy in the field comes from the Captain" by PakPassion.Net

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Player:

Shoaib Malik

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DateLine: 2nd February 2010

 

"The Pakistan team left their best and most competitive display of the one day series in Australia, for last, as they finally managed to push the hosts hard in the final match of the five game series.

 

With the one day series already lost and only pride to play for at the WACA, changes were made to the Pakistan lineup. Karachi opening batsman Khalid Latif was given his first outing in Australia, Saeed Ajmal dropped and Shahid Afridi named captain ahead of Mohammad Yousuf who didn't feature at all in the starting eleven.

 

Former captain Shoaib Malik was reinstated to the team after being dropped for the last two matches and impressed with both bat and ball, scoring 36 runs as Pakistan rebuilt their innings from 16 for 3 and then taking the wickets of Ponting and Voges in a tidy 10 over spell.

 

After the closely fought encounter in Perth, Malik spoke to PakPassion.net about a variety of topics including, the new found energy in the Pakistan team for the fifth one day international.

 

"Afridi utilised the players very well as captain" stated Malik. "If a captain is energetic and enthusiastic, then his players also feel that energy and enthusiasm. You feel that buzz from the skipper and it boosts your own confidence" stated Malik.

 

Malik stated that a pre match meeting and pep talk from Afridi really fired the Pakistan team up. "We were really fired up today in the field after Shahid said to us to forget what had gone on in the tour previously and to just concentrate on the current match and to give our all, and that is what we all did".

 

Malik bowled a rare full quota of 10 overs in the 2 wicket defeat at Perth and stated that he is prepared to do as much bowling as his skipper requires. "There are no fitness issues, I am fully fit and ready to bowl as much as the skipper wants me to. If I am required to bowl 10 overs in one day matches, I can do that without any problems and also if I am required to bowl 25-30 overs in a day in test cricket I am capable of doing that too for the team. I feel I am a genuine all rounder, but at the end of the day I can only bowl when the skipper wants me to".

 

The Pakistan team have been on the wrong end of a whitewash in both the test and one day series and Malik admitted that they can learn a lot from their Australian counterparts. "Australia is one of the toughest places to come and play cricket. They are a fine team and you can learn a lot from playing cricket here and playing against them. The thing that I feel I can take from this tour by playing against Australia and watching them at close quarters is the importance of building and pacing your innings. Get yourself settled into an innings and then start to play your shots".

 

Malik, a veteran of 189 one day internationals feels that as a cricketer you never stop learning. "It doesn't matter whether you have scored 10,000 runs or taken 400 wickets, there is always something to work on regarding your game and always areas that you can improve".

 

Recent media reports had suggested that Malik was unwilling to bat at the top of the order when requested by the captain and team management, however Malik strongly refutes those reports. "The stories about my turning down an opportunity to open the innings are absolute rubbish. I have always been prepared to bat in whatever position I have been asked to. The only concern I have raised regarding my batting posistion has been that wherever I am asked to bat whether it's as an opener or in the middle order that I be given a decent run in that position. I strongly believe that when you are given a run in the team batting in one position, it gives a player some security and confidence and genuinely helps the player to perform better".

 

International cricket returning to the shores of Pakistan seems to be a long way away and Malik made it absolutely clear that he and his team mates are missing playing home series in Pakistan. "There is nothing like playing in front of your home crowds, your own fans and conditions that you are familiar with. We all hope that international cricket can return to Pakistan as soon as possible".

 

Dropped catches have been the order of the day for the Pakistan team both in New Zealand and now in Australia and Malik feels that it's an area of the game that really does need working hard upon. "Our fielding has been a problem for a while and we really do need to address the issue. It's one thing saying we are looking to improve our fielding, but the onus is on each individual to work harder and improve their fielding" stated the PIA all rounder.

 

Malik was today named as skipper of the Pakistan team for the two Twenty/20 matches that regular twenty over captain Shahid Afridi is banned for and will take charge of the team for Friday's clash in Melbourne and the first Twenty/20 international in UAE against England later this month.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
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