Shoaib Malik, whose surprise return to the squad and unbeaten half century – which helped Pakistan chase down Bangladesh’s 142-run target at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday – has become the first Pakistani and eighth player to play international cricket over four decades.
Other players who have played over four decades include Wilfred Rhodes, Brian Close, Frank Woolley, Sachin Tendulkar, Jack Hobbs, George Gunn and Sanath Jayasuriya, according to sports journalist Saj Sadiq.
Despite earlier criticism, Malik manged to win his fans and hearts of the cricket audiences when he led the host team to victory by scoring a match-winning 58 not out in the first T20I. The win further consolidated Pakistan’s chances of hanging on to their world No. 1 ranking in the shortest format.
Following his successful innings at the match, Malik shared a picture of himself with his Man of the Match trophy.
The 37-year-old, who made his debut in 1999 against West Indies in an ODI, played his 434th international game on Friday in Lahore.
Malik is, however, only the third Pakistan player to play over 20 years. The other two are Imran Khan and Mushtaq Mohammad. Prime Minister Imran played for 20 years and 218 days while Mushtaq played for 20 years and 3 days.
