Karachi, September 02: “It is never easy for any player to make a comeback after such a long period to international cricket. One has to struggle to find one”s rhythm and form again.
That is what happened to me in Zimbabwe and I myself want to first justify my self being in the national side,” Malik said. Malik, who returned to the side for the Zimbabwe tour in August after being ignored by the selectors for nearly 12 months, struggled to get going in the One-day internationals and Twenty20 matches. Malik said he wanted to shed the tag of just being a limited overs cricket. Malik has played just 32 Tests but appeared in 195 ODIs and 34 Twenty20 internationals.
“I don”t like being labeled that because to me Test cricket matters a lot and it remains the real challenge for me. As soon as I came back I said to myself first establish yourself in the Test side and that is what I aim to do in the coming months,” he said. Malik said the 12 months he was not considered for national selection had been tough for him but his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, and his family had been a source of great support to him. “It was tough but they were by my side all the time and it helped me through. Now that I am back I know it is not going to be easy because international cricket is tough but I have developed this urge and hunger to be successful and I know I can do it even at the Test level,” he said.
——PTI