Shoaib Malik wishes to play till next World Cup

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik is striving hard to remain fit and play till next World Cup in 2019.

In an interview with BBC Urdu, the former skipper said, “It’s my desire to play till next World Cup, however, it is possible only when I show persistent progress.”

"Sometimes you manage to thrive and sometimes you don't, but I try to bat according to what the team is demanding from me at the time," Malik said.

The 35-year-old cricketer also favours to give chance to the young blood, saying "Cricket cannot only be served playing good but also by giving way to newcomers.”

Commenting on his focus on ODI and T20 only, the former captain said the talent like Babar Azam and Haris Sohail is a good sign for Pakistani cricket as they could further play for 10-12 more years but he himself can’t continue that’s why he focused on short formats.

"These players can further play up to 10 to 12 years, whereas, I find myself unable to, which is why I stick to ODIs and T20 matches", he said.

At present Shoaib Malik stands next to M.S Dhoni, Yuvraj Sindh and Chris Gayle in playing ODI matches.