All-rounder Shoaib Malik becomes first Asian to cross 10,000 T20 career runs

Senior Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik went past 10,000 T20 career runs after he scored 74 in a domestic game in Rawalpindi on Saturday. 

Shoaib is now the third batsman to have reached the landmark after Kieron Pollard (10,370 runs) and Chris Gayle (13,296 runs).

Announcing this great news Shoaib Malik on his twitter handle wrote, “"I would like to congratulate the people of Pakistan as I am the first Asian cricketer to have reached this milestone of making 10,000 runs in 

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& I hope I will carry on in the way I have been playing. I'd like to dedicate this milestone to my parents...”

 

In another tweet he wrote, “they've always prayed for me. I wish my father was alive today as he would've been very happy, but that's how life is. Whenever I go to the ground I always call my mother before a match & get her prayers...”

Thanking his fan Malik tweeted, “Also a big thankyou at the same time to all my fellow players, ground staff members, fans and supporters," Shoaib Malik 

#ShoaibMalik 

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#SM18 

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#T20 

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#Cricket 

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#Pakistan”

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As Malik became the first from Asia to achieve the elusive feat of scoring over 10,000 runs in T20s, his wife and Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza took to Twitter to laud her husband for his impeccable consistency and hard work. "Longevity, patience, hard work, sacrifice and belief  @realshoaibmalik so proud," Sania wrote on Twitter.

Also Read: Liverpool Legend Robbie Fowler appointed as head coach of East Bengal in 2020-21 ISL

Shoaib’s quickfire knock (44b, 8x4, 2x6) was not enough, however, for a win for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the team he was playing for in the National T20 Cup. Khyber lost by six wickets to Balochistan.

SHOAIB MALIK'S T20 career

Shoaib, 38, made his T20 debut in 2005 for Sialkot Stallions and has played 395 T20s in his career, scoring his 10,027 runs at an average of 37.41, with 62 half-centuries. He also has 148 wickets at 27.06, at an economy rate of 7.03.

The National T20 Cup is Shoaib’s first cricket assignment since a T20I series held in England last month. This was his first half-century of the competition so far, in five innings.

Malik announced his retirement from ODI cricket in July last year after Pakistan failed to make it to the top four at the showpiece event. However, the 38-year-old continues to be a part of Pakistan's T20I side and keeps proving his worth with crucial knocks at regular intervals. Malik was last part of the Pakistan squad in their T20I series against England in August-September this year.

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