Shoaib Malik

There is almost no role in a cricket side that Shoaib Malik hasn’t filled, so much so that over ten years into his career, nobody is sure what his precise and best role is.In essence, he is a batting allrounder, though he started his career as an off-break bowler. Partly the problem is that he is capable, as a batsman, of fulfilling many roles with some competence. He has had success as an opener in Tests and ODIs; he has been game-changing as a limited-overs one down and dangerous as a lower-order slogger; often he has been a stodgy middle-order bulwark. In Twenty20s, he can be brutal anywhere.It is thus difficult to recall a definitive Malik high; was it his maiden Test hundred as an opener against Sri Lanka in Colombo? A few hands that led to an ODI series win against India in 2005-06? A Champions Trophy hundred against India?His basic game is tight, especially in the subcontinent. He isn’t pretty, though there can be pleasantness in his high, stiff-elbowed drives and lofts. Square on both sides he is precise. Further, he runs well. With his flattish, very modern off-spin always useful for more than a few overs and a wicket here and there – less so after concerns over his action – and an athletic and languid presence in the field, Malik should be far greater a sum of his parts than he actually is.He was for long earmarked as a potential captain – the late Bob Woolmer thought him the sharpest tack in Pakistan’s set-up – but a stint with the captaincy was troubled, unimaginative and ended badly. It got even worse when the board banned him for a year in March 2010 as part of its unprecedented action on senior players after a disastrous tour of Australia.Osman SamiuddinShoaib Malik, a celebrated Pakistani cricketer renowned for his elegant batting and strategic bowling, has a rich career and significant contributions.