Centurion Malik looks to extend career

KARACHI: Shoaib Malik had failed to score a fifty since his brilliant 128 against India at Centurion back in 2009.
Between that ton which came in a memorable Champions Trophy victory against old rivals India and Tuesday night’s first One-day International against Zimbabwe in Lahore, Malik played 33 One-day Internationals.
On various occasions he was discarded as spent force only to be recalled by the national selectors.
Finally, the seasoned all-rounder managed to make full use of yet another opportunity by hitting a match-winning century on a placid wicket and against a below-average Zimbabwean attack in a 41-run win on Tuesday night.
And now the former captain is basking in the glory of a knock that he believes will extend his international career.
Malik, 33, last played an ODI during the 2013 Champions Trophy and has been ignored over the past two years as he struggled for form. His name kept floating into discussions but he never made into the side. He was randomly selected for the 2014 World T20 but it was for him another international flop. His selection remained a dilemma as his last two comebacks had been accompanied by talk of political sway.
His recent comeback was a surprising one; the Pakistan ODI team to play Zimbabwe was announced in the midnight hours, at a time when the mobile network around Gaddafi Stadium was jammed amid the security protocol of the Zimbabwe team, all set to return to the hotel after completing the second Twenty20 on Sunday. The PCB selectors offered no explanation why Malik was included - he had no extraordinary form to suggest he would be picked.
There was a lot of tongue-wagging but Malik’s 76-ball 112 will silence many of his critics, at least for the moment.
“These are the performances that extend your career,” Malik told reporters after the match. “I needed that and it came with a lot of backing from the team management.”
When Malik was out of contention he was still captaining his regional side, Sialkot Stallions, and led them to the T20 title this month. He himself finished as the third leading scorer at an average of 61.55 in five matches. “Before coming into the series I was playing in Faisalabad in domestic T20 where I played couple of good innings and that actually gave me the flow and confidence. Now I would like to keep it going and be consistent with my form.”
Recalling his two years in the wilderness he said: “There has been an obvious disappointment but as a professional you always look for opportunity and you have to perform to get their attention. At the end of the day, it’s selectors’ prerogative to pick me or not as it’s up to them to pick whatever they require fitting in for their combination. Everyone set goals for themselves ... I have some plans to contribute as a team and individually comes later.”
Score Board
Pakistan won toss
Pakistan
M Hafeez b Utseya 86
*Azhar Ali c Panyangara b Utseya 79
Shoaib Malik c Masakadza b Panyangara 112
Haris Sohail not out 89
Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 3, nb 1) 9
Total (3 wickets; 50 overs) 375
Did not bat: †Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Sami, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah
Fall: 1-170, 2-174, 3-375
Bowling: Panyangara 10-0-75-1 (1nb); Vitori 10-1-77-0; Mpofu 10-0-70-0 (3w); Williams 5-0-42-0; Utseya 10-0-63-2; Sikandar 5-0-43-0
Zimbabwe
V Sibanda c & b Riaz 23
Sikandar Raza c Hafeez b Anwar 36
H Masakadza c Hammad b Malik 73
*E Chigumbura b Wahab Riaz 117
S C Williams c Sarfraz b Riaz 36
†R Mutumbami not out 21
P Utseya not out 21
Extras (lb 2, w 5) 7
Total (5 wickets; 50 overs) 334
Did not bat: C R Ervine, C B Mpofu, T Panyangara, B V Vitori
Fall: 1-56, 2-65, 3-189, 4-263, 5-293
Bowling: Sami 7-0-63-0; Anwar 10-0-81-1(1w); Riaz 10-0-47-3(2w); Hammad 5-0-29-0(1w); Yasir 6-0-35-0; Hafeez 8-0-44-0; Malik 4-0-33-1
Result: Pakistan won by 41 runs
Series: Pakistan led the 3-match series 1-0
Man of the Match: Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)
Umpires: Aleem Dar and R B Tiffin (Zimbabwe). Match referee: Azhar Khan