LONDON: Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik confirmed his retirement from one-day cricket without making a farewell appearance in his side’s victory over Bangladesh on Friday.

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 matches. “I had planned this for a few years ago to retire on the last Pakistan World Cup match. 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.” Malik’s decision came after a Pakistan win which was not enough to take the 1992 champions into the semi-finals.

Pakistan were ousted by New Zealand on net run-rate despite finishing level on 11 points after nine matches.

Malik, who made his debut in 1999, was the most capped player in Pak­istan’s current World Cup squad, appeared in 287 ODIs and scored 7,534 runs with nine hundreds. But he was dropped after the team’s humiliating loss to arch-rivals India at Old Trafford on June 16.

As an off-spinner he finished with 158 wickets, while he also captained Pakistan in 41 ODIs.

Malik said he was disappointed to finish on a low note.

“Yes, I wanted to help my team win the World Cup as a senior but at times things don’t go the way you think and that’s part and parcel of cricket,” he said.

“You don’t judge a player on two or three matches, but I am still happy that the player who replaced me performed well,” Malik said of Haris Sohail, who scored half-centuries against South Africa and New Zealand.

“I never thought that I will play 20 years for Pakistan but when you play with hard work and honesty you achieve the best and that happened with me.

“I am satisfied with my ODI career and winning the Cham­pions Tro­p­hy has been the highlight of my ODI career,” he added of Pakis­tan’s triumph in England in 2017.

Malik, who led Pakistan to the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 where they lost to India, was a key member of the side’s triumph in the following edition in England in 2009.

Malik was congratulated by his wife Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis player.

“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 said on Twitter.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2019