T20 World Cup: Malik’s obsession with the fitness mantra behind his long innings

At 39, Shoaib Malik remains strong and is grateful for the veteran Pakistani batsman’s obsession with the season with his long international career.

Malik has been playing in international cricket since the last century, when some of his current teammates were not even born, but he is still one of the most seasoned in the current Pakistan team, capable of winning a solo match. Malik showed his class again on Sunday with 18 stunning 54 balls setting Pakistan’s 72-run mauling in Scotland, his fifth consecutive T20 World Cup victory in 2021.

It was the fastest half-century of the tournament with India’s KL Rahul’s first 18 balls 50, which also came against Scotland, as Pakistan stopped the Scots by 117 six after imposing 189 fours of 189.

READ: PAK vs SCO: Malik wins 72 races in Pakistan to face Australia in T20 World Cup finals

“… Well, to be honest, when I look in the mirror I’d say I’m obsessed with seeing myself fit, and most of all, I’m still enjoying playing cricket, and it’s also helping me finish the day’s team,” Malik said of the match. at the post-press conference.

“I think if you want to be fit, you have to train every day, and that’s what I’m doing.

“I’m not sure if I can play for another year or two. I’m in it right now [the] in the middle of a very important thing and not thinking about it all. ”

Pakistan finished first in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage and will face Australia in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Thursday.

“Of course we’ve seen Australia, the way they’ve played. They’ve been playing very good cricket. So have we. But of course it’s going to be a tough challenge for both teams,” Malik said after his first half. century at an ICC event from the 2009 Champions Trophy.

“It’s another game, then I think the other batsmen have made plans, run it and taken it as another game.

“… We have a few days in between before the midfield, so I’m sure the management will sit down, our team will sit down and they’ll definitely talk and make plans for the semifinals as well,” he said.

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Malik was not part of Pakistan’s initial 15-member selection for the T20 World Cup, but was replaced by Sohaib Maqsood, who was ruled out due to a back problem.

“I was playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) when the first team was announced, and my name wasn’t there. Of course I felt bad. I was very disappointed.

“But I’ve seen a lot of teams that weren’t there for my name, so of course when you’re not on the World Cup team, then it hurts,” he said.

Mali scored 7.44 in 10 innings in Guyana in the Amazon Warriors CPL, without losing a selection in the starting lineup.

“But as a professional cricketer or as a professional athlete your goal is to talk to yourself and somehow get out of that frustration.

“I had a chance because I was playing in the Caribbean Premier League, and then I came back, I played a home tournament, because I still like to go to the ground, and that keeps me going.

“Overall in the locker room, the atmosphere is very nice and we have to keep giving our best shot,” Malik added.