Misbah-ul- Haq backs Shoaib Malik to shine – Cricket News Update
Pakistani captain, Misbah-ul-Haq has backed under fire middle-order batsman, Shoaib Malik and stated that the former skipper will finally come good for the Men In Green.
Malik endured a torrid time since returning to the national team where he could only manage 2 and 0 from the final two games of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. His contribution was minimal in terms of playing time despite being with the team from the start
of the Test series.
The previous tour of Zimbabwe was where he made his comeback after an absence of over a year and although the team came out resounding winners, Malik failed to cement a permanent place in the side.
Also, had it been not for an injury suffered to all-rounder, Abdul Razzaq he might have endured an even more frustrating time on the sideline. His total stay at the crease in the final two games was nothing of any significance, both time bamboozled by wornguns
bowled by Jeevan Mendis.
However, he is still offered considerable backing by the current Men In Green skipper, who feels that the all-rounder just needs one innings to get back on track, recognizing his efforts in the domestic front, where he led Sialkot Stallion to their sixth
T20 title.
“Malik came in after an outstanding performance in Pakistan [at the domestic level] but he is going through tough time and this happens sometimes in your career," said Misbah.
"He is batting well at the nets as well but it happens that sometimes you aren't able to score runs at the top level. But he is still a good batsman and a match-winner for the team. So he still has a lot of cricket in him and just needs one innings to get
back in touch,” added Misbah.
With injuries suffered to Razzaq, Malik will have another chance of amassing some notable score when the Men In Green and Lankans battle in the One- off T20. Also he has been named in the squad which will be travelling to Bangladesh in not too distant future,
so plenty of opportunity lies ahead for the player to get back to form.