Selectors put Shoaib’s T20 return on hold

No replacement chosen for injured Sohaib Maqsood

KARACHI: All-rounder Shoaib Malik’s return to the national T20 squad has been put on hold after the newly-installed selection committee chose not to name a replacement for the injured Sohaib Maqsood.

Pakistan will square off against Bangladesh in the one-off T20 game on April 24 at Mirpur.

Maqsood suffered a recurrence of his wrist injury that kept him out of the ODI series against New Zealand last December.

Malik was widely tipped as his replacement, but the selectors decided against bringing him back for the one-off game after lengthy deliberations.

An official close to the matter told The Express Tribune that the captain of the T20 team, Shahid Afridi, was keen on Malik’s selection for the match, but the selectors convinced Afridi that the squad did not need reinforcement at this stage.

The official added that Malik, the 59 T20I veteran, is expected to be included in the T20I squad for the series against Zimbabwe — which is likely to be staged in Pakistan next month — if he succeeds in improving his attitude towards his fellow players.

 

 

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