Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has been recalled to face England in the upcoming Test series in the United Arab Emirates, officials said Tuesday, five years after his last match in the longest format.
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Shoaib Malik makes a comeback into the Pakistan Test squad after a gap of more than five years.
“Everyone agreed that Malik was required as the 16th player as he was an experienced batsman in the middle order who can also bowl off-spin as the fifth bowler in the Tests”, chief selector Haroon Rasheed told PTI.
According a reliable source close to the national selection committee, Malik is being considered as a serious candidate to be drafted into the Test squad for the series against England in the UAE.
In 2015, Malik has so far featured in 11 One-Day Internationals and has scored 500 runs at an average of 100.00, with one hundred and three fifties to his name. The 33-year old last featured in the white-flannels for Pakistan in the Birmingham Test against the same opponents in August 2010.
Abu Dhabi hosts the first Test from October 13, with the last two matches taking place in Dubai (Oct. 22-26) and Sharjah (Nov. 1-5).
However, his form in limited-overs cricket seems to have pushed the team management, led by manager Intikhab Alam and coach Waqar Younis to bring him into the Test match squad as well.
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Malik added much-needed experience to the limited-overs sides upon his comeback in the home series against Zimbabwe.
