Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik announced his retirement from the 50-over format shortly after his team bowed out of the Cricket World Cup, narrowly missing out on a semifinals spot.
All-rounder Malik, 37, played 287 one-day internationals for Pakistan and scored 7,534 runs including nine centuries. The off-spinner also picked up 158 wickets in the format.
“Today was our last game, and I’m retiring from ODI cricket,” Malik told reporters after Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by 94 runs at Lord’s on Friday.
“I had planned this for a few years ago to retire on the last Pakistan World Cup match. I’m sad that I’ll be leaving a format of cricket that I loved but happy that I’ll have more time to spend with my family.
“This will also allow me to focus on Twenty20 cricket.”
Malik, who made his debut in 1999, was the most capped player in Pakistan’s current World Cup squad but was dropped after the team’s humiliating loss to arch-rivals India in Manchester last month.
He managed just eight runs in his three matches, including two ducks, and took one wicket.
Malik, who led Pakistan to the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 where they lost to India, was a key member of the side’s triumph in the following edition in England in 2009.
Malik, who said his goal was to play the shortest format’s showpiece event in Australia next year, was congratulated by his wife Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis player.
“Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning’ @realshoaibmalik... u have proudly played for your country for 20 years and u continue to do so with so much honor and humility... Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who u r,” Mirza said on Twitter.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik retires from ODIs
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik retires from ODIs
- All-rounder has played 287 one-day internationals and scored 7,534 runs
- “This will also allow me to focus on Twenty20 cricket”, off-spinner says
US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025
- US chargé d’affaires links rising trade to deeper economic engagement with Pakistan
- Visit comes amid broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties
ISLAMABAD: Trade between the United States and Pakistan is projected to exceed $8 billion in 2025, the US Embassy said on Tuesday, as Washington signaled confidence in Pakistan’s export base and economic potential during a high-profile visit to the industrial city of Sialkot.
The projection was highlighted by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker during meetings with Pakistani exporters and business leaders, underlining the importance Washington places on trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation as the two countries seek to stabilize and expand their economic relationship.
“Highlighting the growth in trade between the United States and Pakistan, which was projected to reach over $8 billion in 2025, Baker said, ‘Expanding trade reflects a strong foundation that highlights the positive impact of US economic engagement in Pakistan and globally. The United States and Pakistan are pursuing a fair and balanced trade relationship that creates prosperity for both our nations’,” the US embassy said in a statement.
The envoy said the United States had been Pakistan’s largest export market and a leading investor, presenting significant opportunities for expanded trade and shared prosperity.
“The United States remains deeply invested in Pakistan and its people,” Baker said, “building on a partnership that dates back to Pakistan’s independence and continues to grow through trade, innovation, education, and cultural exchange.”
The visit comes amid a broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties under US President Donald Trump’s second term, after years of uneven engagement. Since mid-2025, the two sides have stepped up diplomatic contacts, including meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s military leadership and US officials, alongside discussions on trade, minerals, security cooperation and regional stability.
Pakistan has also sought to re-energize economic diplomacy with Washington as it works to boost exports, attract foreign investment and stabilize its economy under an IMF-backed reform program.
In July 2025, the two countries agreed to a bilateral trade deal that included reciprocal tariff reductions and frameworks for US investment in Pakistan’s energy and mineral sectors, a step Islamabad has hailed as opening new avenues for economic collaboration.
During her visit, Baker toured leading exporters including Forward Sports, First American Corporation (FAC) and CA Sports, companies that are deeply embedded in global supply chains. The embassy said nearly 70 percent of FAC’s exports go to the United States, illustrating sustained US consumer demand for Pakistani-made goods.
Baker also visited Sialkot International Airport and met with the leadership of AirSial, highlighting private-sector-led infrastructure and logistics as key to Pakistan’s export growth.
