Of all the acquisitions made by the Guyana Amazon Warriors ahead of the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL); by far Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik selection has to be the most precious.
The all-rounder has been the cornerstone of the Pakistani batting order for more than a decade, applying his trade for the national team since he was a teen. Now 36, free from the rigors of international Test cricket ever since his retirement a few years ago, Malik has been of the best One Day International (ODI) and T20 batsmen in the World over the recent years.
Shoaib Malik’s world class game will add much to the Warriors franchise
With almost 7,000 ODI runs with 41 fifties and 9 tons, to go along with his 1,800 plus T20 runs, the right-hander has made his mark and sealed his name as a hot commodity in the CPL universe; after steady contributions over the past five seasons has made him one of the leading run-scorers in the history of the competition.
The first Pakistani to ever play 300 T20 matches, Malik’s expertise will serve the Warriors well this summer. As a key part of the Barbados Tridents franchise, the batsman has been one their marquee players over the years up until his purchase by the Guyanese franchise.
After scoring almost 300 runs in 2013 during the tournament’s inaugural year, Malik went on to smash 400 plus runs the next year. With a CPL career average of well over 35, the veteran player could be the game-changer for Guyana this season once he is utilized properly.
Guyana with the likes of; Cameron Delport, Luke Ronchi, Chadwick Walton, Shimron Hetmyer all bashers, will rely on Malik’s experience in the middle-order. His ability to score rapidly if needed or to anchor the innings until the time is required for a blitz; Malik’s game is tailor-made for a crisis should a collapse occur.
With the 2017 CPL being his worse season yet with just 121 runs to his name, the T20 gun-for-hire countered his poor form since the CPL with majestic knocks for his country in ODI’s and T20’s while his passion for franchise cricket has seen him represent the likes of Hobart Hurricanes in the Australian Big Bash League, Delhi Daredevils in the IPL among other franchise around the globe. With an already long cricketing resume, Malik recently added highest run-scorer for the Multan Sultans to his accolades.
Despite the Sultans being second-to-last on the points table in this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), the batsman again showed his class amongst the ruins as he racked up 224 runs with an average of 37 for his side.
Shifting gears to this August when the CPL bowls off for the first time in Guyana, it will be left to faith to decide if the Pakistani will add the needed impetus the warriors have been yearning for ever since they tasted the finals in the first year.
Chasing the elusive title, the Warriors will rely heavily on all their players especially the likes of their international line up which include; Ronchi, Imran Tahir, Delport and Malik; should they fire along with the local stars in the side who have been brilliant over the recent moth of regional cricket; Guyana could finally realize their dream of becoming CPL champs.
