Shoaib Malik: I still love Test cricket and feel like Mohammad Amir's brother
Saturday 19 December 2015 07:56, UK
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik surprised many when he retired from Test cricket in November during a match against England. In an interview with guest writer Sajid Sadiq, of www.pakpassion.net., he explains his reasons and why he feels like an elder brother to Mohammad Amir...
Click here to read the interview in full…
Sajid Sadiq: How difficult was it to make the decision to retire from Test cricket?
Shoaib Malik: That's a good question, and one that I have been asked on many occasions since the time I announced my retirement. To be fair, I have still to find the right words to answer this question to my satisfaction. It was the toughest decision of my life and I had so much to say that I wrote a blog about it too.
The decision had been taken a while back in my mind, even before my comeback into the ODI squad. I had just not officially announced it. To be honest, I was not expecting to be back in the Test format at all, and the final Test squad for the series against England did not originally include my name.
I want to serve my country to the best of my abilities, and I strongly believe that I'm better utilised for the ODI and T20I squads. Our Test squad does not need me. Whilst that does make logical sense, the fact is that I do love Test cricket and that did make the decision difficult for me. But then, when I looked at the bigger picture and saw where I could add value to the team, it became a much simpler decision.
Sajid: Critics say that the timing of your decision to retire from Tests was selfish.
Shoaib: I would not label all of them as 'critics' in the truest sense of the word; a few that I came across have been supportive and very constructive in the past too. And yes, it was a selfish decision; that is definitely one way of looking at it. Could I have waited till the end of the match or maybe the series? Till the end of the year? Till after the next World Cup? Allah knows best, but let me confirm that once I had decided to make a formal announcement, I did inform the team management and went ahead with a well-coordinated plan.
Sajid: Would you have any problems sharing a dressing room with or playing in the same team as Mohammad Amir?
Shoaib: Not at all, actually I'm fond of him and I always feel like acting like an elder brother (senior) to him when he is around, and this has been the case since he first joined the team. He is a good boy. I know you are asking me this question because of the mistake Amir made in the past or the comments a few players might have made, or probably both. They are both wrong in my opinion, but then who am I to judge? Judging is for Allah alone and He teaches me to forgive, as forgiving is a sign of Godliness and He loves forgiving.
What Amir did was wrong, and the authorities at the time decided the punishment for him. At that time there were voices asking to let him go since he was young and naive but no consideration was given to this point. I respected that. And now if the authorities feel that Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt have served their time and should be back in the team, I will also respect that.
