Babar Azam rules out Shoaib Malik return for T20 World Cup

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has ruled out a return for veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik to the Twenty20 squad ahead of the World Cup in Australia, saying the team needed to give fresh talent more opportunities to develop.

Malik, who played the last of his 124 Twenty20 Internationals against Bangladesh last November, has impressed in Pakistan’s domestic T20 league and with the Asia Cup and World Cup on the horizon, local media suggested the 40-year-old’s experience could prove invaluable.

However, there was no place for the former captain, a useful all-rounder, in the squad for this month’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Babar said they were looking to the future with the World Cup coming up in



October-November.

“There are matches immediately after Netherlands, so it’s unlikely there will be time for changes,” Babar told reporters on Thursday ahead of their Dutch tour next week.

“When senior players leave the side, those replacing them need focus. (Mohammad) Hafeez and Malik were huge players and we’ll miss them a lot, and players like Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar (Ahmed) need to fill their boots.

“We want to give them plenty of matches and confidence, and these players have performed.”

Pakistan will play three One-Day Internationals in Rotterdam before arriving in the UAE where it begins its Asia Cup campaign with an August 28 blockbuster against archrival India in Dubai.