Hyderbad, July 6
As former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik announced his retirement from ODI cricket, his wife and ace Tennis player Sania Mirza penned an emotional post for him, sharing how she and their son Izhaan are proud of his achievements.
“Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning. Shoaib, you have proudly played for your country for 20 years and you continue to do so with so much honour and humility… Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who you are. Here’s to a few more thousand T20 runs,” Mirza wrote on Twitter alongside an image of Malik in Pakistan cricket team jersey.
Malik announced his retirement after Pakistan’s final match in World Cup 2019 against Bangladesh on Friday.
“Today I retire from One Day International (ODI) cricket. Huge Thank you to all the players I have played with, coaches I have trained under, family, friends, media, and sponsors. Most importantly my fans, I love you all,” he tweeted on Friday.
Sania Mirza✔@MirzaSania
‘Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning’ @realshoaibmalik u have proudly played for your country for 20 years and u continue to do so with so much honour and humility..Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who u r
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Malik made his ODI debut in 1999 in a match against West Indies in Sharjah.
He has played 287 matches and scored 7,534 runs at an average of 34.55. He has nine ODI centuries to his name and was captain when Pakistan reached the final of the 2007 World T20 where they lost to India.
Malik married Mirza in 2010. The couple were blessed with a boy in 2018.