Never asked Babar for my inclusion in Pakistan team: Shoaib Malik

Pakistan veteran all-rounder, Shoaib Malik, has praised Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, amid criticism over his captaincy.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Shoaib said that Babar has performed well across the formats and usually talks about Pakistan cricket whenever he discusses something with him.

ALSO READ: Imad Wasim appreciates Ihsanullah after passing indecent remark

"Babar has performed in every corner of the world in every format. He is a world-class player, and I always want him to grow as a better batsman," said Malik.  "I don't discuss anything related to Pakistan cricket with Babar, but when he discusses something with me, then I always talk about it, whether it's about me or any other player. But I don't communicate with him regarding my inclusion in the team." 

"Babar is like my little brother and a friend. I don't want to cause any discomfort to him. During the T20 World Cup in UAE, Babar told me that they will go with the same squad for the T20 World Cup 2022," he added.

When asked about his retirement plan, the 41-year-old stated that he still has some goals to achieve, and when he doesn’t enjoy his cricket anymore, then he will leave cricket.

"I am not thinking about taking retirement from T20 cricket. My aim is to score 15,000 runs and take 200 T20 wickets. Whenever I feel that my performance is not up to the mark or I am getting bored, then I will say goodbye to every format of cricket," he said.

"Also, I have stopped thinking about making a comeback for the Pakistan team. I always try to avail any opportunity. Whenever the team or management needs me, or they want my advice regarding team coordination or anything, I am always there," he added.