Days after bowling three no balls in an over and raising suspicion, Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik, it is being learnt, will not be play any further part in the 2024 season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). On one hand, it is being claimed that Malik has departed to Dubai for personal reasons, a report in the Bangladeshi media paints a different narrative. As per a social media post by Bangladeshi journalist Syed Sami, Malik's contract has been terminated by his franchise Fortune Barishal over match-fixing allegations.
"Fortune Barisal has terminated the contract of Shoaib Malik on the suspicion of "fixing". During a recent match, Malik, who is a spinner, bowled three no balls in one over. Mizanur Rahman, the team owner of Fortune Barishal, has confirmed the news. #BPL2024," Sami wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
What Exactly Happened?
Notably, during the match between Barishal, the team for whom Malik was plying his trade and Khulna Tigers, Malik bowled not one but three no balls in an over. All the three no-balls were owing to the same overstepping error. Given that Malik is a right-arm off-break bowler and bowls with a small run-up, it raised doubts among the fans on social media. The match was played on Monday (January 22) after which news came out that the ex-Pakistan skipper won't compete in the remainder of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Shoaib recently married Pakistani actress Sana Javed, confirming his separation with ex-India tennis ace Sania Mirza. The cricketer shared a picture from his wedding on his social media post which went viral in no time. He wrote: "And We created you in pairs," along with the picture. Later in an official statement released by Sania Mirza's family, it was confirmed that Sania and Shoaib have actually been divorced "for a few months now." Shoaib and Sania have a five-year-old son Izaan who lives with the former India star.