Malik says no to T20 captaincy

Lahore, Feb.13 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has clarified that he has no desire to lead the national squad in the ICC T20 World Championship, which is scheduled to be played in May in the Caribbean.

Malik has conveyed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt that he is no longer interested in captaining the side.

Malik would be leading Pakistan in two T20 internationals against England in Dubai later this month in the absence of regular skipper Shahid Afridi, who has been banned on ball tampering charges.

According to sources, Butt had called Malik to discuss names of 30 probables for the forthcoming T20 World Championship, but the later advised him to consult fridi.

"I have no interest in the captaincy of Pakistan.I just want to play and play well, do well and help Pakistan win matches," The Daily Times quoted Malik, as saying.

Malik, who led the side in all three formats of the game till February last year, but was sacked following a home series defeat against Sri Lanka, criticized his teammates for the recent poor show.

He said players must stop making excuses and give their hundred percent for the country.

Taking a dig at captain Mohammed Yousuf, Malik said Pakistan was totally different side in the last two matches of the disastrous tour Down Under.

"If you compare the spirit in the first seven matches on the Australian tour to the spirit you saw in the last two matches, what was the difference? Wasn't it a totally different side? And who wasn't playing in those last two games?" he said.

Yousuf didn't play the fifth and final ODI at Perth and he is not a part of Pakistan's T20 team.

Yousuf had earlier blamed Malik and the Akmal brothers for creating disturbances in the dressing room. (ANI)