Saleem Malik

Infobox Cricketer


nationality = Pakistani
country = Pakistan
country abbrev = PAK
name = Saleem Malik
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Right-arm legspin
balls = true
tests = 103
test runs = 5768
test bat avg = 43.69
test 100s/50s = 15/29
test top score = 237
test overs = 734
test wickets = 5
test bowl avg = 82.79
test 5s = -
test 10s = -
test best bowling = 1/3
test catches/stumpings = 65/-
ODIs = 283
ODI runs = 7170
ODI bat avg = 32.88
ODI 100s/50s = 5/47
ODI top score = 102
ODI overs = 3505
ODI wickets = 89
ODI bowl avg = 33.24
ODI 5s = 1
ODI 10s = -
ODI best bowling = 5/35
ODI catches/stumpings = 81/- |date= 4 February
year = 2006
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/42623.html

Saleem Malik (Urdu: سلیم ملک) (born April 16, 1963)(also known as Salim Malik) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1981/82 and 1999, at one stage captaining the Pakistani cricket team. He was a right-handed wristy middle order batsman who was strong square of the wicket. His legbreak bowling was also quite effective. Despite playing over 100 Tests he would go down in cricket history as the first of a number of international cricketers to be banned for match fixing during the turn of the 20th century. Saleem is the brother in law of former teammate Ijaz Ahmed. [cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1859/1859.html| title= Ijaz Ahmed profile| publisher=CricketArchive]

Career highlights

Malik played his first Test match in March 1982, against Sri Lanka at Karachi. [cite web|url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63311.html| title=Scorecard: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka| date=1982-05-05 | publisher=Cricinfo] After making 12 in his first innings he made an unbeaten 100 in the second to set up a declaration. Aged 18 years and 323 days he was at the time the youngest ever player to make a century on Test debut. [cite web|url=http://www1.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/TRIVIA/YOUNGEST_100.html| title=Tests - Youngest to Score Century| publisher=Cricinfo]

During the tour of England in 1987, Malik fell for 99 at Headingley and made 102 at The Oval. He would become familiar with English conditions, playing for Essex for a couple of years during the early 1990s. He had a good season in 1991, scoring 1972 runs, the 3rd most by a non English player for Essex. [cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Essex/Batting_Records/Most_Season_Runs.html| title=Most Runs in a Season for Essex| publisher=CricketArchive] In Test cricket he performed better against England than any other of his opponents, appearing 19 times and making 1396 runs at 60.70. [cite web|url=http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerOpponents.asp?PlayerID=1070| title=Performances by Opponent| publisher=Howstat]

One of his notable performances in One Day International cricket was an innings that he played against India in 1987. [cite web|url=http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard_ODI.asp?MatchCode=0489| title=Scorecard: India v Pakistan| date=1987-02-18 | publisher=Howstat] Chasing 238 in 40 overs, Pakistan were reduced to 5/161 when Saleem arrived at the crease. He scored 72 out of the remaining 77 runs required, making them from just 36 deliveries. He finished unbeaten and Pakistan won by 2 wickets with 3 balls still to spare in the match.

He captained Pakistan in 12 Tests, winning 7. In ODI cricket he led his country 34 times and won 21 of them.

Match Fixing

Malik captained Pakistan in tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe before being suspended from cricket having been accused of bribery. He was however found innocent and allowed to continue his career. Malik played his last Test match in January 1999 but ended his cricket career in disgrace, having been banned from associating himself with the game in any capacity by Justice Qayyam's enquiry in May 2000. He became the first ever cricketer to be banned for match fixing and his appeals of innocence have not borne fruit since, remaining an outcast in the cricketing world. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/cricket/762466.stm| title=Malik guilty of match-fixing| date=2000-05-24 | publisher=BBC]

ee also

*List of cricketers banned for match fixing

References

External links

* [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/42623.html Saleem Malik's Cricinfo page]