My captain wants me to play for Pakistan, says Shoaib

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter
 
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and his Indian tennis star wife Sania Mirza are set to begin a new innings on a different turf with their maiden foray into the showbiz, the Mirza-Malik show.

Soon the power couple will enthrall the audience with their acting skills as they are set to start their own talk show, which will be exclusively aired on Urduflix, a platform like Amzaon Prime and Netflix for Urdu speaking audience across the globe.

Speaking on the side lines of the launch of their show, they poured their hearts out and spoke at length from fitness to sports, and how they have adapted to the new life in Dubai.

Shoaib revealed his fitness secret and asserted that still there are a few years of cricket left in him to serve the nation.

Shoaib, 39, has been an important cog in the wheel of Pakistan cricket team for almost 21 years. His first captain Wasim Akram retired almost two decades ago.

But his fitness and performance both have been impeccable.  He recently represented Pakistan in the T20 World Cup and scored a whirlwind 54 off 18 balls against Scotland. Shoaib took the retirement from Test and ODI cricket to focus on the shortest format of the game.

“My dad was an athlete, so I think I have inherited it from him. Apart from that, I really train hard to keep myself fit.  As an athlete, you got to know your body, what kind of training you need to compete at the highest level.

“I am at an age where I can make plans for myself. I talk to my trainers and discuss my fitness regime with them. These are the elements I work on,” said Shoaib.

“I make sure I am fully fit. It is the first thing to me then comes everything else. If I am not fit, I cannot give my 100 per cent. As far as my cricket is concerned, I play in a team and before taking any decision, I discuss it with the captain and the think tank of the team.

“My captain told me ‘Don’t take retirement as they need my services for some more time as the team is yet not gelled. Once the team is settled, we will sit and decide,”’ he added.

Shoaib along with two team-mates has been omitted from the squad for the West Indies series, which will be held in Pakistan later this month.

The couple also apprised that they are in talks to come out with a biopic on them but did not reveal much details.

“We are planning to work on that. So, the talks are under way, when it gets materialized, it is just the matter of time,” said Shoaib.

Shoaib did not rule out a career in a showbiz after his stint at cricket.

“I will not say no. I have done a few cameos. But right now, I am focusing on my cricket, it is playing cricket that I enjoy the most. This game has given me a lot of recognition,” said Shoaib.

Many cricketers both from India and Pakistan have graced the silver screen after their career in the sport. Salim Durrani, Ajay Jadeja, Vindo Kambli and Salil Ankola are the few who plied their trade in the showbiz.

This will be for the first time that both the stars will share the screen together, excluding a few endorsements.

“We are desperately waiting to be on the other side of the court and asking questions to my guests. I would request my producer to call some sports journalists so that we can grill them,” said Shoaib jokingly.

Meanwhile, Sania said Dubai is like a second home to her as she got her breakthrough success in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in 2005.

“It is like a second home to me. Even before our marriage, I always relished playing here. I always got so much love and support here. I never felt like I was playing away from India,” said Sania.

After their marriage, both Sania and Shoaib have permanently settled in Dubai.

"Since I got married to Shoaib, I get support and love of the people of both India and Pakistan while playing in Dubai. So now I enjoy it more,” she apprised.

She also spoke how the landscape of the women’s sports have changed over the period of time in the contiguous countries.

“When I started playing tennis, I was six. There were no courts to train on. We use to take tetanus injection to avert any problem. The only woman athlete we knew was PT Usha.

“But now there are so many women athletes on the either side of the border. There is Sana  Mir, Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, and Saina Nehwal etc. So, there is no dearth of talent but there should be a system in place,” stressed Sania.