Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has levelled allegations of selection bias against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), stating that players get picked in the national team on the basis of connections and not their performances.

Malik, who bid adieu to ODI cricket after the 2019 World Cup, has been out of action for a while now. His last appearance for Pakistan was in the T20I series against England last September.

"We have a system of liking and disliking in our cricket, which is something that is present in the rest of the world as well, but seems to be a bit more in our culture. The day things change in our cricket system, where more importance is given to skills rather than who a person knows, only then will things improve," Malik told pakpassion.net.

According to Malik, selection should be made purely on merit and the captain must have a say on it.

"In the recent squad there were many players who Babar wanted to pick, but they weren't selected. Everyone has their opinions but the final decision on selection should be that of the captain because it's he who will fight it out on the ground with his team," he remarked.

After criticizing PCB’s policies, Malik feels his chance of making it to the national side looks bleak.

"Whatever is in my fate is in the hands of the Almighty and not in any person's control. I will have no regrets if I am not asked to play again, but I would have felt more regret if I had not spoken up on behalf of my fellow cricketers," he said.