Malik refutes captaincy rift

Shoaib Malik has been a successful captain for Pakistan © Getty Images

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Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has brushed off calls for him to be sacked, saying he is confident he has the support of his players.

Several former internationals including Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja have severely criticised Malik's style of leadership.

And former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed kicked off a fresh storm when he said Shahid Afridi would have made a better captain than Malik.

"If someone thinks so and so would make a better captain, then he has every right to his opinion," said Malik.

"As far as I am concerned it's a matter between the Pakistan Cricket Board and me. As long as the board reposes confidence in me, I will carry on.

"The players are firmly behind me, as well."

Malik added his team was looking forward to the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Toronto.

"There has been a lot happening off the field and the refusal of teams to tour Pakistan due to security concerns has obviously affected the players as well," he said.

"We just want to do well in Toronto and give our people something to cheer about."

Malik refused to label his team the favourites in the tournament which also features Canada, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

"In the Twenty20 format, any team can win if its batsmen or bowlers perform on a particular day," he said.

"Zimbabwe upset Australia in the World Cup last year and there have been other upset results as well.

"Unlike Tests and one-day internationals where you have the chance to come back, in Twenty20 you don't have the time to recover from a mistake.

"We will be playing international cricket after a gap of three months. We will take no chances."