Thaindian News

June 5, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): This has got to be the strangest and most tantalizing marriage of two opposing sides ever. First, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik comes to India and marries its hottest tennis player Sania Mirza. Then before we know it the pair moves to the no-man’s land in Dubai where Malik joins hands with Salman Khan to play against Pakistan!

At the Dubai sports city on Thursday may 27 Shoaib created cricketing history by playing in Salman Khan’s Indian team against his fellow team- mates led by shoaib akhtar who played against Salman’s “being human’ team from Bollywood.

Apparently, Shoaib was reluctant to play in Salman’s team. It was wife Sania who convinced him.

Says a source from salman’s team, “Sania Mirza is a huge Salman fan. When Salman asked her husband to play on his team Shoaib Malik was naturally reluctant. But then Sania’s persuasive powers over her husband worked. When it came to Salman, Sania wouldn’t hear a “No’ even from her own husband.”

That’s how Malik made cricketing history by playing against his countrymen.

Arbaaz khan verifies the historic occurrence. However he wouldn’t like to attribute any political motives to Salman’s charitable game in Dubai.

Says Arbaaz, “It was a friendly match with mixed teams nothing like playing for or against. All in good spirit and for fun.”

However with Pakistan waiting for “Sania Bhabhi’ to show up and Shoaib Bhai giving in to his wife’s fondness for Salman by playing against Pakistan could it be a wrong move both politically and athletically?

–Subhash K Jha / Sampurn Wire