The Hyderabad drama

The Shoaib Malik – Ayesha Siddiqui confrontation in Hyderabad is over. The wedding of the Pakistan cricketer and the Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has been advanced to today according to some reports. The reception is to be on 15^th April as announced earlier.

Yesterday Shoaib had made a statement for the benefit of his countrymen in which he said that he is no one to judge what is right and what is wrong but God knows the truth. That is right. For five years or so he decided that he was married to Ayesha. Then he decided she was not wedded to him. But finally he accepts that he was married to the Hyderabad girl and grants her the divorce that she had been demanding.

It would have been a graceful event if Shoaib Malik had made some sort of apology for the unnecessary tension that he caused to millions of Sania fans in India because of his recent refusal to grant the divorce which apparently was a legal requirement. Sania is India’s daughter and almost every Indian was concerned about her. Anyway, now we can all wish her a long and happy married life.

Shoaib Malik is certainly sensitive to the feelings of his people. After India beat Pakistan at Johannesburg in the 2007 Twenty 20 World Cup finals, this man made a strange statement at the podium. He apologized to the entire Muslim population of the world for the failure to win the cup. Did Salim Malik consider that it was more of a religious contest than a sporting event?

April 16, that is the day after his wedding reception at Hyderabad, seems to be the last day for Shoiab Malik to appeal to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against the one year ban and Rs.2million fine that have been imposed on him. This punitive action has nothing do with the recent marriage controversy.

The enquiry committee appointed by the PCB found Shoiab Malik guilty of poor performance, infighting within the team and for faking, during Pakistan’s last New Zealand tour, an ankle injury. Six others were also punished by the PCB.

Sania Mirza has stated that she would continue to play tennis for India and Shoiab Malik has endorsed it. In Pakistan tennis is a minor sport. There is not much that a player of Sania’s class can do there. But the Pakistanis are hoping for her support to women’s tennis in their country. Dilawar, the Pakistan Tennis Federation President has already suggested that Sania should team up with Aisam-ul-Haq who is ranked within the top 50 doubles players in the world, for mixed doubles.

Would Sania be qualified to play for India after her wedding to Shoiab Malik? I suppose that she would be till, if at all, she obtains a Pakistani Passport. Indian tennis legend Vijay Amrithraj’s son Prakash was dropped from the Indian Davis Cup team because he holds a US Passport.

Well Sania, all the best.

Also see: At 22, can Sania Mirza make a comeback?