Two Pakistan cricketers, Shoaib Malik and Usman Shinwari, have been retained by the Jaffna Kings (earlier Jaffna Stallions) as the overseas players for the upcoming 2021 Lanka Premier League (LPL).
South Africa’s Faf du Plessis and Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz have also teamed up with the Jaffna Kings.
Malik is a renowned cricketer who captained the Pakistan cricket team from 2007 to 2009. His role spans from being a batting all-rounder to right-arm off-break bowler.
Malik also played for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and gained international recognition after leading Pakistan to the grand finale of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
Malik was also a key member of the T20 World Cup team that triumphed in 2009 in England and his current T20 aggregate stands at a staggering 2380. He tops the list as the cricketer who played the most number of T20 International matches in history which stands at 120.
Malik along with Misbah-ul-Haq recorded the highest partnership for the fifth wicket (119) in T20 Internationals against Australia in 2007.
He is currently playing in the T20 World Cup in the UAE representing Pakistan and his experience in the game as an all-rounder, which springs from almost two decades of a successful career, will surely become invaluable for Jaffna Kings.
Shinwari is a Pakistan cricketer and will team up with the Kings as a left-arm swing bowler. He has played in 96 T20 matches and has taken an impressive 116 wickets, earning the respect from the cricket community.
In 2019 he recorded his best ODI bowling figures taking five wickets for 34 runs in a match against Sri Lanka.