Shoaib Becomes First Pakistani Cricketer To Appear In 350 T20 Matches

Pakistan's veteran cricketer got a unique milestone in his outstanding career by becoming the first cricketer of the country to complete 350 matches in T20 matches

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Sep, 2019 ) :Pakistan's veteran cricketer got a unique milestone in his outstanding career by becoming the first cricketer of the country to complete 350 matches in T20 matches.

Shoaib played his 350th game in the format on Thursday at the Sabina Park stadium. He is captain for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ongoing 7th edition of the Caribbean Premier League, who are undefeated in the tournament so far. Shoaib's first T20 game took place in 2005, where he led the Sialkot Stallions, said the information made available here.

Out of 350 matches, 111 of games have been played for his national team, where he averages 30+ striking at 124.He has also taken 28 wickets in the format, at an economy rate of 7.

"I feel honoured to have been part of this beautiful game called cricket. When I started my career, T20 cricket didn't exist, and it makes me proud that I was able to keep my game relevant." said Shoaib.

The Pakistani all-rounder was part of the 2009 T20 World Cup winning team from Pakistan. He was also part of the most recent T20 World Cup, where he averaged 96 with the bat, striking at 165.

Commenting on the 2009 Pakistan T20 World Cup triumph, Shoaib said "The highlight for me out of my T20 career so far is definitely winning the trophy in 2009. It brought so much joy to the nation, and as cricketers, those are the moments we live for." Shoaib made his comeback to the national team in 2015, and since has averaged 40.75 in the format striking at 141.

In the same period, he has also been adjudged man of the match on three occasions.

Commenting on the difficulties of the format, Shoaib said: "T20 cricket is exciting, but it is also tough; you often play 2/3 games per week which can be tough on you mentally and physically, and it is important to stay fit so you can endure the pressures of the format.

" In addition to his individual performances, as a T20 captain, Shoaib holds the record of captaining a team to most consecutive T20 wins.

During the 2006-2010 period, the Sialkot Stallions were unbeaten over a 25 game win streak. The next best streak is at 15 wins.

"The reign at Sialkot Stallions will always have a special place in my heart. Of course I am from Sialkot, and representing your home city just gives you that extra bit of push. For a few years we were unstoppable." said Shoaib.

To date, the cricketer has played in the IPL, CPL, PSL, BPL, BBL, Vitality Blast, SPL and GT20. In 2018, he was selected in the ICC T20 World XI as well.

It has been 22 years since Shoaib debuted in professional cricket, commenting on his journey, the former captain mentioned "it is an honour to play 350 games in the T20 format. I am grateful to all the teams I have played for who have believed in me along the way, and I will continue to play as long as I am fit and performing", he said.

"When I first started playing cricket, I never thought I would play 350 games in total, never mind 350 in just one format", he said adding "I feel honoured to have been a part of this beautiful game of cricket. When I started my career, T20 cricket didn't exist, and it makes my proud that I was able to keep my game relevant to the modernization of cricket".

Shoaib said " T20 cricket is exciting, but it is also tough; you oftenplay 2/3 games per week which can be tough on you mentally and physically, and it is important to stay fit so you can endure the pressures of the format."