After months of rumours of discord, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza have officially parted ways. Much to the internet’s surprise, the revelation came to light when Malik disclosed his second marriage to Pakistani actor Sana Javed on Saturday. An official statement from Mirza’s family on Sunday clarified that the couple divorced months ago. 

Running riot with the shocking development, fans and internet users have been curious as to what prompted the split between the cross-border celebrity couple. Amidst speculations about Malik’s fidelity, attention has turned to a resurfaced clip from a November 2023 episode of former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s talk show on The Express Entertainment. 

In the clip, Akhtar questioned Malik about five attractive women from any field. In response, Malik expressed how he generally finds himself captivated by women, pointing out the difficulty in naming just a few. “Five? There are five hundred!” the sportsman exclaimed laughingly. “I like women a lot, from all over the world, but five names I think won’t be enough,” he added.

Malik elaborated on his preference for connecting with women, asserting that forming bonds with them feels more natural to him compared to establishing camaraderie with men. “Let me tell you something fun: I get along better with women than men,” the former national captain disclosed. When probed as to why that might be the case, Malik jokingly remarked, “Apparently, I look like a woman myself.” 

Considering the cricketer’s refusal to name five women, Akhtar persisted in the spirit of the Q/A segment and listed names of famous women from Pakistani showbiz. “You’ll end my friendship with the other ten,” Malik interjected with a laugh, before repeating his original stance. “All women are nice.”

Malik’s response, expressing admiration for women worldwide, fueled discussions about his recent marriage and fidelity concerns. This comes after a local news outlet reported family disapproval, as none of the cricketer’s family members attended the wedding. Reportedly, two of Malik’s sisters disclosed that Mirza had grown weary of her husband’s alleged infidelity.

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