Malik thanks "great life partner" Sania for "brilliant support" during dark days

Sialkot, August 21 : Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has said that his wife and Indian tennis player, Sania Mirza, helped him get through the difficult phase of his life when he was awaiting clearance by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Integrity Committee for selection in the national team.

"Ups and downs are part of life. You have to be mentally strong enough to handle all the things and situations that come your way. My wife Sania has helped me a lot," PakPassion.net quoted Malik, as saying.Malik said he believes that his mental toughness helped him through such a difficult time in his life, adding that Sania’s advice was invaluable.

"She''s been playing international tennis for the past 10 to 12 years and the advice she gave me from her experiences in the highs and lows of her tennis career, was invaluable. She''s a great life partner and her support has been brilliant," he added.

Whilst the past 12 months will be difficult to forget, Malik feels that the bad times are in the past and that he has plenty to look forward to, as he has now been cleared by the PCB to play for his country.

"I feel that I can play cricket for another 6 to 8 years. I just want to play good cricket, and despite not being selected for Pakistan, I have been training hard practising with intensity and playing cricket anywhere in the world where I possibly could, for example in Bangladesh. I want to show the world that I am still a good cricketer and that I have what it takes to play and do well at the highest level," he said.

A year out of any cricketer''s life is a long time and Malik has missed a number of matches for Pakistan including the 2011 World Cup. However, the former skipper, who will turn 30 next February, feels that he is now approaching the prime years of his cricketing life.

"I feel that from 29 onwards, for the next 6 or 7 years are the best years for a batsman, where you can apply your experience and what you have learnt. I''m at that stage now. What''s happened is history now, it''s time to move on, look forward. I don''t want to look back now; I just want to focus on the future. The more I talk about or think about the past, the more I lose concentration," he said.