Times of Islamabad

Veteran Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik makes history in the world of International Cricket

Veteran Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik makes history in the world of International Cricket

ISLAMABAD – Former Sri Lanka captain Santath Jayasuriya is happy to welcomePakistani all rounder Shoaib Malik in his company.

Malik, who will be 38 on Saturday is the 8th player to play internationalcricket over 4 decades. Malik made his international (ODI) debut in 1999playing against West Indies at Sharjah. His Test debut was in 2001 (againstBangladesh in Multan) and now is also a part of the ongoing home seriesagainst Bangladesh.

Malik, who has captained Pakistan in the past, joins the likes of WilfredRhodes, Dennis Brian Close, Frank Woolley, Sachin Tendulkar, Jack Hobbs,George Gunn and Sanath Jayasuriya in the elite list.

Speaking exclusively over telephone from Colombo, Sanath Jayasuriya said,“Shoaib is a versatile player and for some reason he always used to do wellagainst us. He made plenty of runs against us and was always a threat withthe ball”.

“The secret for his longevity is his fitness. It is remarkable effort tostretch his career thus far”.

“It is an extremely difficult feat nowadays given the volume of cricket. Idon’t see very many players having careers that are that long, unless theyare extremely fit”, Sanath Jayasuriya signed off.