Shoaib Malik granted special permission to reach England: The veteran Pakistani batsman will reunite with family before reaching England.
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Veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik has been allowed to reunite with his family and skip the first four weeks of Pakistan’s tour of England. While the Pakistani team will leave for Manchester on June 28, Malik will join the squad on July 24.
Malik, who was representing Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League before the COVID-19 outbreak, had no option than to remain in his native country due to travel restrictions during the global pandemic.
With his wife and Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza and their son currently in India, Malik hasn’t met them in the last five months but will get an opportunity to reunite despite his teammates travelling to England.
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“Unlike the rest of us, Shoaib Malik has not seen his immediate family for nearly five months due to his commitments and the subsequent international travel bans following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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’s request,” PCB CEO Wasim Khan said in a statement.
Shoaib Malik granted special permission to reach England
While revised dates for the tour are yet to be announced, it is confirmed that the three Tests will be played before as many T20Is. Malik, who no longer plays in the longest format at the highest level, will have enough time to adhere to UK government’s protocol of undergoing a 14-day quarantine period before joining the squad.
Shoaib Malik “In a marriage, you don’t concern yourself with where your partner is from or what is going on between the countries or in politics. If you love someone and get married to that person that should be all that matters, regardless of which country you come from”
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 20, 2020
“We have spoken with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which understands the situation and has agreed to make an exception by helping Shoaib enter the country on July 24. Of course, before integrating with the side, Shoaib will follow the UK government’s policies on visitors entering the country,” Khan said.
While Pakistan have announced a joint 29-member squad for Tests and T20Is, players are likely to be segregated according to formats upon reaching England. Pakistan will complete their quarantine period in Derbyshire where they will be allowed to resume training.
