Veteran Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik remained in the news on Saturday, January 20 for a different reason as he announced his third marriage. However, Saturday also marked his return to competitive cricket as he featured for Fortune Barishal in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Barishal opened their campaign with an easy five-wicket win against Rangpur Riders, however, it was Malik who achieved a huge milestone while providing the finishing touches on the game.
Malik scored an unbeaten 17 off 18 as Barishal chased down a target of 138 runs in 19.1 overs. Those 17 runs helped Malik breach the 13,000-run mark in T20 cricket as he became only the second batsman in history after Chris Gayle to achieve the milestone. Malik needed just seven runs on Saturday to get to the landmark and he did so after coming in to bat at No.6.
Most runs in T20 cricket
14,562 - Chris Gayle (455 innings)
13,010 - Shoaib Malik (487 innings)
12,454 - Kieron Pollard (568 innings)
11,994 - Virat Kohli (359 innings)
11,807 - Alex Hales (424 innings)
Out of 13,010 runs, Malik has scored 2,435 runs for Pakistan in 124 appearances in international cricket and even though his chances for return at the highest level are bleak, the 41-year-old will hope to add a few more to his tally playing in T20 leagues around the world.
Apart from Chattogram Challengers who have played two matches, all other six teams have played once and the real competition will start on Sunday as the BPL continues to find its relevance with three T20 leagues running simultaneously. Khulna Tigers, Fortune Barishal, Durdanto Dhaka and the Challengers have begun their campaigns with respective wins while the likes of Comilla Victorians, Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Strikers are yet to open their account.
