Ahead of the T20I clash against England, the visitors Pakistan got the major blow, as the key member of Pakistan Shoaib Malik will be heading back home. He has been granted 10 days leave from the board to solve his personal issues. Malik will return back after the completion of the above-mentioned period.
The statement read that the stylish all-rounder will head back home immediately and will return to the team after the conclusion of the leave period. However, they don’t want to make any other statement in order to respect the privacy of Shoaib Malik.
“The Pakistan cricket team management has given leave to Shoaib Malik. So that he can return home to deal with a domestic issue. He is expected to rejoin the team in 10 days’ time,” a release read. The PCB will not be making any further comments. They fully expects all concerned to respect Shoaib’s privacy.”
The Pakistan cricket team management has given leave to Shoaib Malik so that he can return home to deal with a personal issue. He is expected to rejoin the team in 10 days(PCB)
— Saleem Khaliq (@saleemkhaliq) April 29, 2019
Shoaib Malik Will be available for 2nd ODI:
Pakistan is due to play England in a one-off Twenty20 International on May 5 which will be followed by a five-match One-Day International series which gets underway from May 8. Malik was part of both squads but will now miss the T20I and the first ODI as well.
He is expected to rejoin the squad for the second ODI which will be played on May 11 at Southampton. Shadab Khan will also miss the series as he recovers from a viral ailment.
Pakistan will play a one-off T20I and a five-match ODI series against hosts England before the World Cup begins from May 30. Malik has already confirmed that the upcoming ODI World Cup in England will be his last tryst with a world event.
Pakistan will play two warm-up World Cup games against Afghanistan on May 24 and Bangladesh on May 26, before taking on the West Indies in their first World Cup match in Nottingham on May 31.