Shoaib Malik confirmed that the upcoming ODI World Cup in England will be his last tryst with a world event, hinting at a possible retirement from international cricket after the tournament.

Malik, who was picked in Pakistan’s World Cup squad, which was announced on Thursday, said Pakistan has a balanced side and he wants to end on a high by winning the tournament for his country.

“This will be my last World Cup and I want Pakistan to win it. I believe there is a fantastic combination of young and senior players in this squad,” Malik told PakPassion.

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Malik hasn’t been in the best of forms in the lead up to the World Cup. He has scored just 197 runs from seven innings at 28.14 with a strike-rate of 82.08. Once considered a useful option with the ball in hand, Malik has bowled just one over in 2019, which clearly indicates that Pakistan wants his services more with the bat.

Malik, however, is concerned about his lean patch. “I don’t focus on what is being said about me, but rather focus on how I can perform on consistent basis,” said Malik. “If I think this is my last World Cup, I wouldn’t not do well. Rather, I am going to take it as if I am beginning my career.”

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The former Pakistan captain refused to pick a favourite and instead said no team is a pushover in the World Cup.

“All teams at the World Cup are strong and there will be no fluke and no team is favourite,” he said. “Everyone has to struggle, and under English conditions, rainy weather may create problems for any team on a given day.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, dropped Mohammed Amir from their World Cup squad of 15.

Pakistan will play two warm-up World Cup games against Afghanistan on May 24 and Bangladesh on May 26, before taking on the West Indies in their first World Cup match in Nottingham on May 31.

Pakistan World Cup Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain

First Published: Apr 21, 2019 20:01 IST