Indian tennis star Sania Mirza posted an emotional message for husband Shoaib Malik expressing her pride and love for his services as an athlete after Malik announced his retirement from one-day cricket on Friday.
Mirza congratulated Malik on a successful cricket career and lauded him not only for all that he has done for his country but also for his humility.
“‘Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning’ Shoaib Malik, 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,” she wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzj6G9VnqQM/
The all-rounder had already shared earlier that he will bid adieu to the fifty-over format after the World Cup and he followed through with that plan.
Speaking to the media after the match, the cricketer said “I am retiring from one-day cricket. I’m sad as I’m leaving the format I loved the most but this will allow me to spend more time with my family and concentrate on the Twenty20 World Cup next year.”
He took to Twitter to thank everyone who supported him during his 20-year long astounding career.
Today I retire from One Day International 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#PakistanZindabad 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/zlYvhNk8n0
— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) July 5, 2019
Pakistani players gave the former captain a fitting send-off in the from of a guard of honour at Lord’s after their 94-run win against Bangladesh. This marked the 1992 champions’ World Cup exit who couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals due to net run-rate despite finishing on 11 points; the same as New Zealand’s.
✅ Hugs galore
✅ Guard of honour
✅ Plenty of applausePakistan gave Shoaib Malik a fitting send-off as he retired from ODI cricket 👏#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/ESA4q1sLUM
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 5, 2019
Other celebrities also bid him farewell.
Grace personified! This is our star @realshoaibmalik ! Thank you for all the years of service to 🇵🇰 https://t.co/Zj6n4JDYT4
— Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) July 6, 2019
Congratulations on a great career my friend @realshoaibmalik -wishing you my best for your future endeavours!!!! https://t.co/EmFWlOjIGm
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) July 5, 2019
Dear brother @realshoaibmalik You have played marvellous cricket and your calm batting style will be remembered for the times to come . You have retired but you will always stay in our hearts as a legend. #ThankyouMalik
— Abrar Ul Haq (@AbrarUlHaqPK) July 5, 2019
Malik played 287 one-day internationals and scored 7,534 runs with nine hundreds. The 37-year-old will continue to play Twenty20 format.
