Sania Mirza cheered from the stands as her husband Shoaib Malik took his team home against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. She flew to Sharjah to catch the action live with her daughter. Mirza had earlier informed her fans that she was flying to UAE with her daughter via a Twitter post. Meanwhile she was seen sitting at the stands, cheering for her husband. Malik kept calm and stood tall in a tense chase. He set himself in and slammed 27 off 20 which included a huge six as Pakistan won by five wickets.
Shoaib Malik holds a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans. While we are not doubting his skills on the cricket field, the larger reason behind this special love is his wife, tennis ace Sania Mirza. During Sunday’s ICC T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan, when Malik took his fielding position near the boundary, fans cheered him calling him ‘jijaji’. In the video, we can see a section of fans trying to get the Pakistan all-rounder’s attention with their chants. Malik for a brief moment looks at them, and the cheers get louder. The video got Sania’s attention who shared it on Twitter with laugh and heart emojis.
❤️❤️ https://t.co/NE46xoSKfu— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) October 25, 2021
Meanwhile a win against New Zealand will help Pakistan get through to the semi-final. They had beaten India in their opening game, outplaying their arch-rivals by ten wickets. The Men in Green will be up against the likes of Scotland, Namibia and Afghanistan which shouldn’t be a big deal. But one must not forget Kohli and his men who now must win against New Zealand to make things tight for Pakistan.
My little #izzy pic.twitter.com/s4QXT5oqDN— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) October 25, 2021
T20 World Cup Full Coverage | Schedule | Photos | Points Table
Earlier a sensational bowling performance by Haris Rauf (4/22) helped Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 134/8 in a Super 12 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, here on Tuesday. Apart from Rauf, fellow pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imad Wasim, and Hafeez picked up a wicket each at the sluggish pitch at Sharjah.
Put in to bat first, New Zealand were off to a slow start. They were 42-1 after the end of powerplay with opener Martin Guptill (17) back in the pavilion. Another Kiwi opener Daryl Mitchellc (27) also struggled to score freely and was dismissed by Imad Wasim in the 9th over of the innings. Jimmy Neesham’s visit to the middle lasted just two deliveries as Hafeez got rid of him to leave New Zealand 60/3 at the midway point of the innings.
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here