Saleem Malik is a former Pakistani right-handed middle-order batsman who became reputed for several issues. He concluded his international career in 1999 but has since been embroiled in controversy related to match fixing.
Playing Career
He was a wristy and talented square of the wicket batsman. In the 1994-95 season, while playing in Pakistan, he became the first batsman who really got on top of Shane Warne. He had an excellent career as an overseas player of Essex and in this county he was called as “Slim”. In the latter part of his career, he became an influential skipper of the Pakistan national cricket team.
| Role | Batsman |
| Born | 16 Apr 1963 |
| Nationality |
Pakistan
|
| Team History | |
Habib Bank Limited
|
1982 - 2000 |
| Lahore cricket teams | 1981 - 1999 |
Pakistan
|
1982 - 1999 |
|
Essex County
|
1991 - 1993 |
| Sargodha cricket team | 1991 - 1992 |
However, the biggest blot in his life was that Justice Qayyum’s enquiry found him guilty of match fixing. Hence, he was banned from all sorts of cricket in 2000. Mark Waugh and Shane Warne testified that Malik had tried to bribe them to lose the Karachi Test in 1994-95. In 2001, he appealed against the ban. After a wait of 7 years, he had the ban lifted.
Career Highlights
Saleem Malik played 103 Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 5,768 runs at an average of 43.69 with 15 centuries and 29 half-centuries. His career high score was 237. He took five wickets in his Test career where he rarely bowled.
Malik participated in 283 ODIs and scored 7170 runs in these with 102 as his highest score. His batting average was 32.88 and batting strike rate was 76.41. He struck 5 centuries and 47 half centuries and took 81 catches. In the 3505 balls that he bowled, 2959 runs were scored and 89 dismissals took place. His bowling average was 33.24 and economy rate was 5.06.
