Veteran cricketer Abdul Razzak wasn’t pleased with his former teammate, Shoaib Malik’s performance in the first match of Karachi Kings against Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) ninth edition.
The disappointment from Razzak came after Multan Sultans secured a convincing 55-run victory at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Razzak, who played alongside Malik during his international cricket career, expressed his thoughts on the Geo News program ‘Harna Mana Hai.’ He mentioned that while Malik individually performed well, he felt Malik played more for himself than for the team.
“A player is someone who plays for a team,” remarked the former cricketer.
In the ongoing PSL 2024 season, Malik is playing for Karachi Kings. In the recent match, he was the top performer, scoring 54 runs off 35 balls. Despite his efforts, Karachi Kings couldn’t secure a win as Multan Sultans’ bowlers limited them to 130/8 while defending a target of 186.
During Karachi Kings’ innings, Malik joined forces with his captain, Shan Masood, and together they tried to recover their side’s position. They managed to add 52 runs for the third wicket, but in the ninth over, Masood was dismissed by Usama Mir.
After the captain’s departure, Malik continued to bat alongside Mohammad Nawaz, contributing 37 runs. However, Malik was eventually dismissed by Abbas Afridi, ending as the top-scorer for Karachi Kings with 53 runs off 35 deliveries, including five boundaries and two sixes.
Although Malik reached his 50th run in the 13th over, hitting a cover drive against Abbas Afridi, he was dismissed on the next ball. Despite his efforts, Karachi Kings fell short of the required run rate, resulting in Multan Sultans’ victory.