ShoaibMalik has had one of the most intriguing cricket careers. He made his debut in 1999; in 16 years of international cricket, we still don't really know what his role exactly is. He is one of the very few cricketers who has played in every position from 1 to 10 in ODIs. Is he a batsman? Is he a bowler? Is he an allrounder? He is definitely one of the best fielders in the Pakistan team; no one makes a catch in the outfield look as easy as Malik does. But what his role exactly is in the Pakistan team will probably be defined during the last phase of his career that started with his international comeback earlier this year.

I first remember watching a young 14 year old Shoaib Malik play in the LombardU15 Challenge in 1996. He was part of the Pakistan U15 team in that tournament and played as an up and coming off spinner. I remember watching him deceive batsmen with spin that turned outrageously, similar to the turn that the great Muralitharan used to extract. At that time, Saqlain Mushtaq had recently made his debut for Pakistan and watching Malik was like watching a young Saqlain. He had a similar action and bowled just as well as the inventor of the doosra. I wondered when I would see him play for Pakistan.

It has been 16 years since Malik made his international debut. In those 16 years, despite periods of greatness, he is yet to define his established role as a Pakistan cricketer. His ODI career can be divided into 9 distinct phases, including the current one, which might as well be the one that really defines him.

Debuts for Pakistan as an off spinner

Malik got his first international call three years later in 1999, when he was selected to replace an injured Saqlain, as part of Pakistan's ODI squad for the triangular series against West Indies and Sri Lanka in Sharjah. He played 5 games in that series and was the second highest wicket taker for Pakistan with 9 wickets at an outstanding average of 18.11 and an excellent economy of 4.16. If it wasn't for Azhar Mahmood's 6 wicket haul in one of the matches, Malik would have been Pakistan's highest wicket taker in his debut series.

Malik made sure that no one missed Saqlain during that series, and in 1999 that was an achievement and a half as Saqlain had already made his mark as a world class off spinner and was touted as one of the best in the business along with Muralitharan.

For the next two years, Malik continued to play as an off spinner, but sparingly, filling in for Saqlain when required. But he never really lived up to the expectation that he had created after his debut series. After playing 20 ODIs in 2 years, his record was 19 wickets at an average of 36.1; hardly the numbers of a successful spinner.

First Stint as a Top Order Batsman / The Allrounder

As Malik's stock as an off spinner dipped, someone realized that he has potential as a batsman. In his first 20 ODIs, Malik continuously batted at 8, 9, or 10 and didn't show much signs of being a good enough batsman to bat in the top order. He got an inning at 6 and another at 7 also, but without much success. His 11 innings in his first 20 ODIs yielded 145 runs at an average of 18.1.

However, under Waqar's captaincy, in the series against the West Indies in Sharjah in 2002, he batted at number 4, and in his first innings in the top order he scored an unbeaten 111. He followed that up with another century two ODIs later, this time as an opener. He enjoyed a decent run in the top order mustering 369 runs, including two centuries, in 10 innings at an average of 41.00. Despite this performance, he did not make it to Pakistan's squad for the World Cup in 2003.

He returned to the squad following the World Cup under the captaincy of Rashid Latif and slotted at number 6. For the next year he remained in the lower order, fluctuating between 6, 7 and 8, and played the role of an off spinning all rounder. His batting exploits in those positions were just about average as he notched up 750 runs in 34 innings at an average of 25. He managed 4 fifty plus scores during this time, however his bowling was not much to talk about as he managed to pick up 33 wickets at a mediocre average of 40.

Golden Period in the Top Order

In the course of that year, Inzamam Ul Haq had taken over as captain of the team, and Bob Woolmer has joined as head coach. Realizing that Malik's talent was being wasted in the lower order, they decided to move Malik back up the order again, where he had briefly displayed his ability under Waqar Younis. Malik got this chance at number 3 during the Asia Cup in 2004 and immediately repaid the faith of the leadership with scores of 118 and 143 during the tournament.

For the next two years under Inzamam, Malik remained Pakistan's permanent number 3 in ODIs. In 44 innings during this period, with all of them at 3 besides a couple at 4 and 6, he smashed 1,713 runs at an average of 41.8. His runs tally included three centuries and 14 fifty plus scores including two 90s and an unbeaten 86.

During these two years Malik showed the world that he belonged among the best ODI batsmen in the business. His bowling took a back seat during this period as he concentrated on delivering as a batsman and he did it extremely successfully.

Short Stint as Opener

After a successful stint at number 3, Inzamam and Woolmer now decided to use Malik as an opener to fit Younis Khan in at 3 whose ODI stocks were also increasing and being wasted at 5 or 6. For the next 6 months, Malik opened for Pakistan, albeit with limited success. In 7 innings as an opener, he managed only 141 runs with a top score of 46.

Back to the Allrounder Position

Realizing that the experiment had not worked, Malik moved back to number 6 since Younis had firmly made the number 3 spot his own. Back in the lower order, Malik rediscovered his form and shone as a batsman again. In these 6 months, including the World Cup in 2007, Malik batted in 15 innings at number 6 and notched up 406 runs at an average of 40.6, including 3 fifty plus scores and as many quickfire forties.

Malik had truly flourished as a batsman under the leadership of Inzamam and Woolmer. The former had also identified him as a future captain given his rise as a batsman with a sound head over his shoulders. Following Woolmer's tragic death and Inzamam's retirement after the World Cup 2007, Malik was chosen to lead Pakistan.

Golden Run as Captain

For the next two years he captained Pakistan and further flourished as a batsman. Preferring to bat at number 5 as captain of the team, Malik shone as a middle order batsman for Pakistan. In 33 innings as captain, mostly at 5 with a few as an opener, Malik notched up 1,225 runs at an average of 43.75. He scored one century and 10 fifties during this period.

His captaincy period however was filled with team politics and controversies. Somewhere down the line he lost trust of the seniors, namely Yousuf, Younis, Afridi, Akhtar, and Razzaq, all of whom felt that one of them should have been leading the team. Despite a reasonably successful stint as captain, and even moreso as a batsman, Malik's run as captain was cut short in 2009 due to team politics.

Younis Khan, who would have been captain instead of Malik in 2007 had he not turned it down after the World Cup, was now given the captaincy.

Years of Turmoil

For the next two years, Pakistan went through several captains, namely Younis, Yousuf, and Afridi as team politics ran rampant and Pakistan remained largely unsettled. And so did Malik. Team politics hampered Pakistan's former captain and main ODI batsman the most as he failed to find a settled spot in the XI and remained in and out of the team.

Even when Pakistan finally settled to some extent under Misbah from 2011, Malik was not a permanent feature of the team. He faced several axes and several recalls to the team and batted in all positions between 3 and 8 during the 4 years between 2009 and 2013. Such inconsistency can bog down the best of them and Malik never recovered his old touch. In 39 ODI innings during this period, Malik managed to score only 741 runs at an average of 21.17. This was easily his worst phase as a batsman and in 2013 he found himself out of the team for good.

The Remarkable Comeback

It had been six years since a team had toured Pakistan for an international cricket series. That last time an ODI series was played in Pakistan, Malik was captain. So earlier this year when Zimbabwe decided to tour Pakistan for three ODIs, the selectors decided to plug the experience gap in the middle order created by Misbah's ODI retirement and Younis' lack of ODI form. Their answer was Shoaib Malik who had not played ODI cricket for Pakistan for two years.

Malik earned yet another recall to the side under the captaincy of Azhar Ali, and in his first ODI in two years he smashed 112, his first ODI century, in fact his first score above 43 in 6 years! In his comeback ODI, he batted at 3; however since then Malik has slotted into the number 5 position and has smashed 500 runs in 11 innings at an even average of 100! His remarkable comeback to the ODI team has yielded scores of 112, 26*, 55*, 51, 42*, 96*, and 34*, among others.

In a team that was lacking middle order experience, Malik has taken over the responsibility like never before and is looking like the great ODI batsman he once was. His run of form has not been restricted to ODIs only and he has continued in the same vein in T20s also, a format of the game in which he is a giant in leagues all around the world. His comeback to the team has been so remarkable that he has picked up the Man of the Series Award in two of the three series he has been involved in this year.

This rich vein of form with the bat resulted in the selectors picking him for the test series against England. Even though Malik had shown glimpses of being a great test cricketer during his unbeaten 148 against Sri Lanka in 2006 where he batted for over 8 hours to help save a test match, he never really made it as a test batsman. An average of 33 across 32 tests does not make a world class test batsman, and Malik's test career went down the same road as Shahid Afridi's and Abdul Razzaq's who also showed traces but never really made it in tests the way they did in limited overs cricket.

Malik was brought back into the Pakistan test squad after a gap of 5 years. He probably would not have played the first test against England had Azhar Ali been fit, however Malik was given an opportunity at number 3 and he grabbed it with both hands and feet. In his first test knock in 5 years, Malik played a monumental knock of 245, breaking several records on the way:

Malik has been playing international cricket for 16 years and even though he had periods that defined his role in the team, he never really established his position for an elongated period. After his comeback in 2015, however, in what is the final phase of his career, Malik has taken it upon himself to define the type of cricketer he would like to be remembered as.

For as long as I have been watching cricket, I have rarely witnessed the sort of comeback Malik has made to international cricket this year. 2015 has been a remarkable year for him and for him to do it after 15 years of international cricket baggage, it is nothing short of phenomenal. You wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to watch him play; grab a bonus code and support Shoaib Malik in Pakistan's upcoming matches.

Pakistan vs England test series always provide entertainment, on the field and off it as well! Rarely does a series against England go by without one controversy or the other. While the cricket between the two sides has been extremely entertaining, there has been plenty of drama dished at us as well in the past.

Arguments with umpires, ball tampering allegations, forfeited tests, spot fixing, pitch tampering, court cases, you name it and we have seen it in a series involving Pakistan and England.

With yet another test series between the two sides starting tomorrow, here’s a look at some of the controversies we have witnessed in the past in Pakistan vs England tests.

Umpiring Altercation: GATTING vs RANA

Back in 1987 when there was limited TV coverage and barely any cameras covering the action on the ground, the naked eye of Shakoor Rana spotted England captain Mike Gatting moving a fielder while a bowler was in his run up (during the 2^nd Test at Faisalabad). Rana immediately halted play and reprimanded Gatting for breaking the rules, and with it the spirit of the game. Gatting waving his finger at Rana is an image that has been played repeatedly on Pakistan television and the internet.

Umpiring Altercation: AAQUIB VS PALMER

During England’s tour of 1992, Pakistan’s pace attack was arguably at its best and England’s batsmen had little answers for them. During the 3^rd test at Old Trafford, Roy Palmer warned Aaqib Javed about intimidating bowling to number XI Devon Malcolm. Aaqib had bowled a couple of bouncers and Palmer was not too impressed. Aaqib bowled another short one but it was not a bouncer from any stretch of the imagination. Malcolm ducked and the ball hit his helmet smack in front of the stumps. Palmer called it a no ball! At the end of the over Aaqib snatched his sweater and cap back from Palmer in anger and Miandad had to intervene to calm things down and also give Palmer a piece of his mind.

Umpiring Altercation: INZAMAM VS HAIR

Who can forget the episode with Darrel Hair who accused the Pakistanis of ball tampering and docked them 5 penalty runs during the 4^th test at the Oval in 2006. Pakistan’s captain, Inzamam Ul Haq, took this so personally that he decided not to take the field after tea and forfeited the test match. The first such instance in the history of test cricket. Administrators from both sides and ICC officials failed to convince first Inzamam, and then Darrel Hair, to restart the game and an exciting test match ended midway during day 4 with the first forfeiture ever in test cricket history.

Ball Tampering Allegations

That wasn’t the first time the Pakistanis were accused of ball tampering; though it was the first time that they were docked 5 penalty runs because of it. No Pakistan tour to England is complete without ball tampering allegations.

It all started in 1992 when Wasim and Waqar swung the old ball so late into the batsmen that the English had no idea what hit them. They were so confused by what was happening that they termed it cheating and accused the Pakistan pacers of tampering with the ball. The British Tabloids were full of stories about Pakistani bowlers running their nails into the ball and lifting the seam with their fingers. Accusations were passed left, right, and center as the English batsmen continued to fall like nine pins.

The allegations continued during Pakistan’s tour to England in 1996 and 2001; and then finally culminated in that forfeited test in 2006.

The Spot Fixing Saga

Arguably the worst scandal to hit Pakistan cricket. Despite all the match fixing allegations levelled against Pakistani cricketers throughout the 90s, surprisingly tours to England remained devoid of such accusations. Besides one-off rumors about ODIs during the tour in 1992 and 1996.

Pakistan’s last tour to England in 2010 has got to be their worst tour there ever. In Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, Pakistan had found a potent new ball pair that was right up there with the very best. Finally, Pakistan boasted a new ball attack as lethal as Wasim and Waqar. What could have been is a question that still lingers around the minds of cricket fans as we all witnessed the downfall of the two best bowling talents produced by Pakistan in the past decade.

The 4^th and final test of the series was underway at Lord’s when the News of the World broke the news about a spot fix that Asif and Aamir has been involved in along with their captain Salman Butt. Pakistan’s cricketers had been caught in a sting conducted by the now defunct investigative British tabloid.

Every tour of England has been full of drama for Pakistan’s cricketers but there was none that had been as embarrassing as the one in 2010.

Whether you are a fan of off-the-field drama or not, you can't miss action in a Pakistan vs England game, so use these bonus codes and pick your side and get ready for some non-stop action packed cricket.

There are several more off-the-field stories like British tabloids reporting Imran Khan’s affairs during tours to England, Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi partying at Soho on nights before matches, and the famous pitch tampering that Afridi got involved in during England’s tour to Pakistan in 2005 that have added extra spice to Pakistan vs England contests over the years.

With Pakistan’s current test squad largely subdued compared to their predecessors, one doubts that we will witness drama of this kind in the test series that gets underway tomorrow. But then again, one thought the same about the Inzamam led team.

The inaugural Cricket & Beyond event was held in Dubai yesterday, 9th October, at the Rixos The Palm. The event featured two legendary cricketers - Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram. Cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle moderated the talk show.

The event lived up to the hype of its title - Cricket & Beyond. Harsha Bhogle took the entire crowd down memory lane by asking Sachin and Wasim about their memorable cricket performances, and then also went beyond and questioned both the legends about non-cricket related things.

The legendary cricketers were asked about their love for music. Sachin talked about Dire Straits and Gypsy Kings, while Wasim Akram talked about his love for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Kishore Kumar. Wasim is a huge Bollywood and Pakistani music junkie and he claimed last night that he gets hold of songs well before the general public because he knows people in the right places!

Similarly, Sachin watches Bollywood movies before they are released to the public. Not only is he invited for private viewing by actors and producers, he also receives unreleased cuts of movies at home, where he enjoys them on his home-cinema system.

Harsha Bhogle revealed that Sachin used to be the first one in the Indian dressing room to own the latest gadgets to listen music on. And soon after, the entire squad used to have the same one. Such was his following!

Both legends also talked about their love for food. We found out last night that there is hardly a restaurant in Dubai that Wasim Akram has not been to. He loves steak and played an influential role in introducing steak, sushi, and other continental foods to Rogan Josh loving Pakistani cricketers.

Similarly, Sachin narrated a story about how he was once raving about Japanese food to some of his team mates and one of them spoke highly about the same cuisine. The next time Sachin and that cricketer, who remained unnamed, went to a Japanese restaurant together, Sachin was so amused to see the cricketer spread wasabi all over his bread!

Wasim was asked about his secret for remaining fit and how he coped with diabetes. Wasim spoke of sleeping early and waking up early, going for a run every morning, and eating healthy! Pretty much what everyone talks about regarding remaining fit.

But what was inspirational to hear was about Wasim's fight with diabetes. He was diagnosed at the age of 29 and played top tier cricket for another 8 years. His insulin injections were a permanent feature of his cricket kit bag, and while on the field he used to stock his chocolates and other sweets with umpires to fight against low sugar levels.

Harsha also told the crowd that Sachin used to be a big prankster in the dressing room and his shy and sober demeanor is a mere facade.

Sachin talked about this time when he and Sehwag were in the bathroom and another senior cricketer, whose name Sachin again did not reveal, was in one of the cabins. Knowing that this cricketer was there Sehwag started discussing how Sachin's adidas t-shirts, shorts, and jackets looked better on him than they did on any of the other Indian cricketers. Sachin told Sehwag that it was because adidas sent him special personalized items that they did not make for anyone else.

An hour or two later, Sachin got a call from an adidas representative asking him what he had told that other cricketer about his clothes from adidas because he called them and asked for the same stuff!

All the beyond talk was very interesting. But it didn't overshadow the cricket talk where both Wasim and Sachin spoke about their World Cup wins, their other memorable performances, Sachin's debut series against Pakistan in 1989, the secret behind their longevity, their influence on junior cricketers, losses that they regret, and wins that they cherish.

The most interesting question that both of them were asked came from social media: "If you had access to a time machine, which match from your career would you like to play again?"

When Harsha asked the question, my immediate thought was that Wasim would say the 1999 World Cup Final and Sachin would say the 2003 World Cup Final, so that they could play those games against and alter the result.

The answers were quite different.

Wasim Akram said the 1992 World Cup Final and Sachin said the 2003 World Cup game against Pakistan at Centurion.

Harsha was quite surprised by the answers as well and talked about how champions think differently from us normal folks. While we thought they may choose to play matches they had lost to alter results, both of them chose to relive their wins!

What I would give to watch Wasim vs Sachin once again. Even at their age, I reckon they can provide for a better showing than many of the international stars. I wonder what sort of odds William Hill will give for a showdown between the two superstars.

It was quite a night where we got to experience an interesting conversation between two legends of the game. It was also a great start to the Cricket & Beyond Series, which continues in New York next month. There are other shows planned as well for Melbourne and London where Sachin will be joined with legends like Shane Warne and Brian Lara.

Tom Curran has been named the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s young player of the year, in the same month that he was brought into the England Performance Programme squad. Curran was presented his award at the yearly gala, alongside Chris Rushworth who won the player of the year award.

The prestigious awards are given out annually to players who are considered the best in their category at county cricket level.

Year 2015 has been an incredible year for the 20-year-old. Alongside his younger brother Sam, the pair have formed a formidable partnership for Surrey, and were key members of the side than won Championship promotion, and got to the Royal London One-Day Cup final. Recently the brothers took 10 wickets in the first innings against Northamptonshire.

The PCA young player of the year has taken more than 70 County Championship wickets this season, including a notable two-seven wicket haul at Surrey’s home ground.

Curran is the son of genuine all-rounder Kevin Curran, who played regular county cricket for Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire, and internationally for Zimbabwe. He was also noted for passing 1000 runs in a season an impressive five times.

Like his father Curran also grew up in Africa and it was here that his talents were first spotted by Ian Greig. The former Surrey player, who now works in youth cricket, observed Curran while playing for his school side and recommended him to PG Academy Director Gareth Townsend.

Upon his arrival Townsend was quoted as saying, “Tom has the potential to be a very special player indeed and I am delighted he will be with the club for the next three years at least.”

Curran is a right armed batsman and is known for his fast bowling. Despite his South African roots he will be eligible for England call ups in October 2015, as he will have completed his required four years residency.

England fans will be eagerly making their bets and tracking their side’s success in the test match against Pakistan.