Snubbed Shoaib Malik to announce retirement after Pakistan-Bangladesh match

LONDON: After being snubbed by Pakistan team management, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik is set to announce his international retirement soon after Friday’s World Cup match against Bangladesh here at Lord’s.

According to sources, Malik was desperate to play in Pakistan’s last group game against Bangladesh hoping to end his ODI career with a farewell match.

However, the Pakistan team management opted against giving Malik his ODI swansong as it decided to field the “winning combination” against Bangladesh.

The playing eleven that took the field at Lord’s on Friday was the same line-up that helped Pakistan win three matches – against South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – in a row.

Malik, 37, was axed from the line-up after flopping in his third World Cup game. He made eight against England and then fell for zero in back-to-back games against Australia and India. His golden ball duck against India at Old Trafford on June 16 would be the last of his ODI career.

Malik, who is a former Pakistan captain, played 237 ODIs scoring 7534 runs and taking 158 wickets. He also played 35 Tests and 111 Twenty20 Internationals for Pakistan.

A source in the Pakistan team told The News that Malik had decided to officially announce his retirement in an interaction with the media after the conclusion of the Pakistan-Bangladesh match.