Not long ago, former Pakistan skipper and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi had admitted that he almost decided to quit international cricket in 2009 due to politics in the Pakistani national team. In what can be seen as a shocking revelation, Afridi had said that he decided not to play cricket anymore when Shoaib Malik had become the captain as there used to be a lot of politics within the national team at the time. 

Malik, who is still fighting for a place in the white-ball squad of the Pakistan national team, has responded to Afridi’s recent remarks. The 39-year-old opened up about becoming the captain of the Pakistani national side. Malik observed that if Afridi thought he was rushed into captaincy at the time, then the former Pakistan captain is ‘absolutely right’. 

“I don’t know what my captaincy had to do with his retirement, I think he wrote about that in his book. I was asked the same question earlier and I said that if he said I was made rushed into captaincy, he is absolutely right. In a lot of interviews, I have said that if I was as wise in 2007 as I am today, I would have never accepted the offer,” Malik was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. 

One of the most successful white-ball all-rounders on the Pakistani national side, Malik was appointed as the captain of the Green Army in 2007. Malik became the fourth-youngest captain of the 1992 World Champions at the age of 25. Malik, who is married to Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza was only 17 when he made his debut for Pakistan against West Indies in 1999.

Malik has played 35 Test matches, 287 One Day International (ODIs), and 116 T20Is for Pakistan. The 39-year-old  recorded his last ODI appearance in 2019 against Virat Kohli-led Team India at Old Trafford.  The T20 specialist has not played an international match in the shortest format since 2020.