Short of wicketkeeping, there are few role that have passed Shoaib Malik by on the cricket field. He has batted in every position in ODIs since his debut in 1999, though after the arrival of Bob Woolmer, he finally settled into numbers three and four. He began at Test level batting in the lower-order and is latterly being utilised as an opener and astonishingly, proving himself to be an adept one.

As an offspinner in the modern mould, everything about his bowling, from short-stepping run-up to the doosra or wrong’un, bear striking similarities with Saqlain Mushtaq (though not as obviously gifted). And the action isn’t clean enough - he has been reported twice at international level - once in October 2004 after which he played primarily as a batsman for the next six months, before undergoing elbow surgery to correct his action. And he was again reported in November 2005, after which he underwent elbow surgery again in early 2006. But it is his intelligence and versatility that mark him out and make him so vital to Pakistan’s future. After Bob Woolmer’s arrival, he became one of Pakistan’s most intelligent ODI batsmen, regularly marshalling chases from one-down, setting up platforms for big totals as a thruster, scoring runs in vital matches and being at the heart of Pakistan’s ODI resurgence.

He is an uncomplicated batsman, abundant with checked drives and cuts and useful slogs when needed. Against India, both in 2005 and 2006, all these qualities came to the fore. Yet, he can still come in at number six as he did against South Africa in 2003 once and blast 82 from 40 balls. More significantly, he has found a spot in the Test side under Woolmer and Inzamam and as Pakistan’s regular opener, following an elevation against the West Indies in June 2005. He had a mediocre first series in the position against England later in the year, but has gradually settled into it. Against Sri Lanka, he supervised Pakistan’s last-day move to safety with a maiden Test hundred against Murali at Colombo. England was a disappointment as he missed the Test series with an elbow injury and on his return to the ODI side, looked rusty and short of match practice. Many hope, though, that the Test hundred will be a breakthrough one in his career and he is talked in private circles within the PCB, as a future captain.