Pakistan faced a defeat in the final of the T20 World Cup last month, as England lifted their second title. The Babar Azam-led Pakistan side faced a five-wicket defeat in a closely-contested clash in Melbourne; however, it had a rather dramatic outing in this year’s edition of the marquee tournament. Pakistan had faced defeats in their opening two matches against India and Zimbabwe, and required Netherlands to beat South Africa for an easy passage through to the semis.
In an extraordinary result, the Dutch side did beat the Proteas, allowing Pakistan to reach the semi-final where they beat New Zealand in Sydney. In their opening losses, the side’s weaknesses in the batting order were exposed and many criticised the PCB selection committee for not including veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the squad.
Almost a month after the World Cup, Malik has opened up on his chat with Babar Azam prior to the tournament over his place in the international setup.
“Mujhe nahi pata inside news kya hai, lekin Babar ne mujhe Asia Cup me bola tha ki World Cup me ye hi team jaayegi. Uski side se sab communicate hota raha, vo mere se achhe terms pe hai. Main usko apna chhota bhai samajhta hu, uski grooming ya help out karne me, ya jab bhi usko discuss karni hai cheezein, main hamesha se vahan hu aur rahunga. (I don’t know what’s the inside news, but Babar told me during the Asia Cup that the same team will travel for the World Cup. He was transparent in communication and he remains in good term with me. I consider him as my younger brother, and I’m always ready to help him out. I will always remain there for him),” Malik said on Cricket Pakistan.
“Main aisa nahi hu ki agar main kisi vajah se team me nahi aaya, toh main naaraz ho jau ya muh bana lu. Main aisa bilkul nahi hu. Main karunga bhi nahi aisa. Meri duaa hai uske saath, main chahta hu vo grow kare aur Pakistan team ko, aur uski performances ko top of the table rakhe. (I don’t hold a grudge against him. I’m not like that. I want him to grow and I want Pakistan to be on top),” Malik further said.
While the all-rounder has not formally retired from the game, his last appearance in international colours came in November last year during a T20I against Bangladesh.