Shoaib Malik Announces Plan To Quit ODI Cricket After 2019 World Cup

Ahead of Pakistan's month-long Zimbabwe tour slated to get underway from July 1, former skipper Shoaib Malik revealed his plans of retiring from 50-over cricket after the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales. Pakistan will face Australia and Zimbabwe in Twenty20 International (T20I) tri-series which will be followed by a bilateral ODI series against hosts Zimbabwe from July 13. Malik, who made his Pakistan debut in 1999 in a One-day International (ODI) against the West Indies at Sharjah, however wants to continue playing the shortest format of the game subject to his fitness and performances.

"The 2019 World Cup is my last event of the 50-over cricket. I will try to play T20 cricket if I continue to stay fit and put up performances," media reports quoted Malik as saying. He had retired from Tests in 2015.

Malik has so far scored 6,975 ODI runs at an average of 35.22, including nine 100s and 41 fifties and has taken 154 wickets with his off-spin.

Malik, who has been part of Pakistan's two major cricket moments -- the World T20 title in 2009 and the ICC Champions Trophy crown in 2017 -- expressed his desire to win the 50-over quadrennial tournament in 2019.

"I have set goals for myself and one of them is winning the World Cup 2019. I already have two major cricketing titles in my career, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, and now this is the only title left," he said.

(With IANS inputs)

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