Sania Mirza's father Imran is disappointed that his son-in-law Pakistan's Shoaib Malik was not chosen for the Man of the Match award after his heroic unbeaten half-century helped Pakistan beat India in the first T20 International on Tuesday.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez was awarded the Man of the Match for his knock of 61. “My Man of the Match is Shoaib Malik. His 57 runs came at the crucial moments and he remained at the crease even after another half-centurion and captain Mohd Hafeez was out (on 61 runs). I would have definitely chosen Malik,” a miffed Sania’s father Imran said yesterday.
Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik
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Malik launched Ravindra Jadeja back over his head for six to seal the win with two balls to spare. The former Pakistan skipper finished on 57 from 50 balls after a 106-run stand with captain Hafeez (61) proved decisive in pursuit of India’s 133 for nine.
Sania’s father Imran Mirza
It was a bittersweet Tuesday for the Hyderabad-based Mirza family after Malik’s heroics helped Pakistan thump India by five wickets in the opener of the landmark series in Bangalore.
“The family is happy for Shoaib’s knock, but disappointed over India’s loss in the match,” said Mirza Sr.u00a0“Even my daughter supports Team India, but not when Shoaib Malik is a member of the Pakistan team,” he quipped.
Sania, however, chose to stay at home instead of traveling to Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. “She didn’t want to go there and add extra pressure on Shoaib for such an important match,” said Imran.u00a0Sania married to Malik in April 2010 and the couple has been residing in Dubaiu00a0since then.
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