London: Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik confirmed his retirement from one-day cricket without making a farewell appearance in his side's victory over Bangladesh. Malik had admitted last year that he intended to quit one-day cricket after the World Cup and he followed through with that plan after Pakistan's 94-run win at Lord's. The 37-year-old will continue to play the Twenty20 format, but he admitted it was an emotional moment to call time on his ODI career. "I am retiring from one-day cricket," said Malik, who was dropped after a disappointing World Cup featuring two ducks in three maches.
"I'm sad as I'm leaving the format I loved the most but this will allow me to spend more time with my family and concentrate on the Twenty20 World Cup next year," added Malik, who is married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza. Malik appeared in 287 one-day internationals and scored 7,534 runs with nine hundreds. His last appearance came in the defeat against arch rivals India in Manchester on June 16. As an off-spinner he finished with 158 wickets, while he also captained Pakistan in 41 ODIs.
- Agence France Presse
'Izhaan and I are so proud of you'
London: As Shoaib Malik announced his retirement from ODI cricket following Pakistan's exit from the World Cup, tennis ace and his wife Sania Mirza Saturday took to twitter to convey how she and their son Izhaan are proud of his achievements. In an emotional post, the Indian tennis star said it would be a new beginning for the former Pakistan skipper.
"Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning' @realshoaibmalik u have proudly played for your country for 20 years and u continue to do so with so much honour and humility..Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who u r," Sania wrote on her Twitter page.
- PTI
