Shoaib Malik granted special dispensation to reunite with his family before arriving in England… with the Pakistan all-rounder having not seen his wife and one-year-old son for nearly five months
- Pakistan’s squad will set off for Manchester on June 28 for their tour of England
- The 29 players will observe their 14-day quarantine period in Derbyshire
- But all-rounder Shoaib Malik will be allowed to arrive almost a month later
- The 38-year-old’s wife and son are in India while he has been stuck in Pakistan
- Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three T20Is during their tour
The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed it will allow all-rounder Shoaib Malik to spend time with his family before arriving in England for their two-month tour.
A 29-man squad will head for Manchester on June 28, before a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in Derbyshire where they will be allowed to train and practice.
But in a statement, the PCB confirmed Malik has been granted permission to arrive in the UK almost a month later – on July 24 – so that he can reunite with his wife and one-year-old son.
Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik has been given permission to see his family before arriving in England
Malik has not seen his tennis-player wife Sania Mirza (left) and their son for five months
Malik has been stuck in Pakistan while his tennis-player wife Sania Mirza, and one-year-old son Izhaan, have been in India due to the ban on international travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Unlike the rest of us, Shoaib Malik has not seen his immediate family for nearly five months,’ PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said.
‘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.’
The PCB also confirmed they have spoken to their ECB counterparts, who have agreed to make an exception for Malik.
Former skipper Malik bowed out of the 50-over format last year after the World Cup in England
Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals against England between August and September in a bio-secure environment.
Former skipper Malik retired from Test matches in 2015 and bowed out of the 50-over format last year after the World Cup in England.
However, the 38-year-old has continued to play the T20 format for Pakistan, having represented his county on 113 occasions in the shortest version of the game.