Miandad bats for India-Pakistan series
MALEK TO CALL TIME ON ODI CAREER POST-WORLD CUP
Batting legend Javed Miandad yesterday questioned Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as to what prevented both nations from playing a bilateral series when they regularly face each other in ICC tournaments.
Miandad, who played for Pakistan in Tests and One Day Internationals between 1975 and 1996, said it is beyond his understanding that when Pakistan and India can play each other in a world tournament like the World Cup, Champions Trophy, World Twenty20 or Asia Cup, why can’t they do so in a bilateral series.
“The more we play, the more hatred will end among both countries and relations would get better,” he said.
Miandad, who was ranked 44th among the best cricketers of all time by the ESPN Legends of Cricket, pointed to the Ashes series between Australia and England and how the two teams cannot stand each other on the field but still play displaying sportsman spirit. “We [Pakistan and India] can rule the world of cricket if we work and play together,” he said.
Commenting on ICC’s decision to convert 2021 Champions Trophy into a World T20 event, finally scrapping the eight-team ODI tournament, Miandad said it is a good decision as cricket these days is getting faster and people are more interested in watching shorter format cricket instead of longer ones.
Word of caution
“However, the ICC must keep a strict eye on match-fixing issues as shorter formats involve a bigger threat of fixing,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malek has reportedly revealed his plans of retiring from 50-over cricket after the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales.
Malek, who made his Pakistan One Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies at Sharjah, however wants to continue playing the shortest format of the game subject to his fitness and performances.
“The 2019 World Cup is my last event of the 50-over cricket. I will try to play T20 cricket if I continue to stay fit and put up performances,” media reports quoted Malek as saying. He had retired from Tests in 2015.
Malek has so far scored 6,975 ODI runs at an average of 35.22, including nine 100s and 41 fifties and has taken 154 wickets with his off-spin bowling.
Big event success
Malek, who has been part of Pakistan’s two most recent cricketing high points — the World T20 title in 2009 and the ICC Champions Trophy crown in 2017 — expressed his desire to win the 50-over quadrennial tournament in 2019.
“I have set goals for myself and one of them is winning the World Cup 2019,” he said.
Pakistan will next play Australia and Zimbabwe in a triangular series from July 1 to July 8.