Will 40-year-old Shoaib Malik play 2022 World Cup? Pakistani cricketer says 'want to retire with respect'

Age is just a number they say, however, when you have reached the other end of your cricketing career and new budding talent has started making its way into the team. This is what is happening with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Currently, at the prime age of 40, the cricketer is still in pretty good form and is considered as one of the finest players of his generation in limited-overs cricket. Talking about his age and his retirement, Shoaib Malik opened up about his future plans even spoke about his rapport with skipper Babar Azam.

Not thinking about retirement just yet, the right-handed batter is of the opinion that he wants to be a part of the T20 World Cup 2022 squad when they travel to Australia in October. However, he also added that this could only be possible if Pakistan captain Babar Azam wants him to be a part of the side. 

"Despite my age, no one can claim that I am a liability. I have performed at the highest level – especially in the T20 format –and I have shown my worth with the ball, with the bat, and especially in the field. I am thoroughly enjoying my cricket right now because I am utilising all my experience and intensity during the games," Malik said during an interview with Cricket Pakistan. 

Not bothered by the chatter around his retirement, Malik said that he keeps in touch with captain Babar Azam in regards to his future for Pakistan cricket.

"We do talk on a regular basis and we had the conversation about my future plans during the World Cup, I told him that after how everything panned out – I don’t feel like continuing anymore. However, if you ask me personally then of course I still want to represent my country. As I said, I have clear and open communication with Babar," he said.

While the batter added that he can play for another two years, he stated that he wants to retire with respect. "I asked Babar to communicate with me, even if that means playing limited series. He told me to play the series against Bangladesh and I did. Following that, we had a series against West Indies and Babar said he wanted to play a couple of youngsters and I stepped aside and rested for that series," Shoaib Malik explained.

"I have not made up my mind about the World Cup because I want to retire with respect. If Babar asks me to play then I will play otherwise I will step aside respectfully" he further added.