Jack of all trades, master of none; no one fits the bill as perfectly as Shoaib Malik does. A career spanning almost two decades began in the form of an off-spinner and would most likely culminate, whenever it does as one of the most dependable batsman in the shorter versions of the game that Pakistan has ever had. A water-tight defence backed by some handsome horizontal bat shots and lofted drives make the man from Sialkot, a spectator's delight. Most part of his career though has been a game of musical chairs as far as his batting number was concerned. He has flirted with every batting position - from 1 to 10. A solid opener, a dependable number 3, a workman middle order bat and a manufactured slogger, he has seen it all. In the sub-continent he walks on thin ice and away from the ice becomes thinner for him to dwell upon - a common consensus amongst the cricketing experts on Shoaib. But criticism has hardly had its ways against the cocooned and soft-spoken Malik.
