Karachi: Pakistan all rounder Shoaib Malik may face disciplinary action from his home department for flying off to Australia for the Big Bash T20 tournament while the domestic season was still on in the country.
A senior official in the sports division of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) told PTI that the authorities had taken a serious note of the fact that Malik flew off to Australia without taking permission.
"He has gone at a time when we thought he was injured and not available to play. But now we find that he is playing in the Big Bash today while his team is struggling in the ongoing domestic President's Cup tournament," the official said.
Malik had injured his finger while playing for Pakistan in the T20 series against South Africa in the UAE in November and also had to return home from South Africa where he had gone for the short one-day series. Interestingly, Malik appeared for the airlines team in a few games of the national T20 event but since than has not played for them.
"I think senior players like Malik have to decide where their loyalties lie because PIA needs him now in the President's Cup," another team official said. When available, Malik usually leads the PIA team in domestic cricket. The allrounder who is married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is representing the Hobart Hurricanes and turned out for them on Tuesday in the Big Bash.
The official said that disciplinary action against Malik might be the issuance of a show cause notice to him. "Let us see what he has to say before any final disciplinary action is taken against him."
