Shoaib Malik gets PCB permission to spend time with wife Sania Mirza before England tour
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have announced that their players will depart for the tour of England on June 28. The PCB, though, have given permission to experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik to meet his wife Sania Mirza and spend time with immediate family before departing for the United Kingdom.
It has been reported that Shoaib Malik had not met his wife and tennis star Sania Mirza and son Izhaan for five months due to the Covid-19 lockdowns imposed around the world. Shoaib Malik also apparently requested the board to give him some time off before the series against England.
“Unlike the rest of us, Shoaib Malik has not seen his immediate family for nearly five months,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said in a statement on Saturday (June 20).
“As travel restrictions are now slowly easing out and there is an opportunity for a family reunion, it is appropriate that at a human level we show compassion as part of our duty of care and respect Shoaib Malik’s request,” the Pakistan board official added.
Pakistan will play a three-Test series and same number of T20 internationals against England in August-September in a bio-secure environment in England following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 29-member Pakistan squad will travel to Manchester on June 28 and from there will leave for Derbyshire where they will undergo a 14-day quarantine. They will be allowed to train and practice as per the standard operating procedure for the series.
Shoaib Malik to enter England on July 24
Shoaib Malik has been stuck in Pakistan while his wife, tennis player Sania Mirza, and one-year-old son Izhaan, have been in India due to the ban on international travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The all-rounder, who is based in Sialkot, was with the Peshawar Zalmi squad in the Pakistan Super League before the tournament was suspended in March.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, 38, retired from Test cricket in 2015 and bowed out of the 50-over format last year after the World Cup in England. He has continued to play in the T20 format.
In 113 T20s for Pakistan, Shoaib Malik has scored 2321 runs at an average of 31.36 with eight fifties.
The PCB said they have spoken to their counterparts, England and Wales Cricket Board, who have agreed to make an exception for Shoaib Malik to enter the country on July 24.
Apart from training and practice, there will be intra-squad matches to compensate for the lack of practice matches due to non-availability of local teams as the ECB is yet to commence its domestic season.