Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik opened up on his bond with his son Izhaan after his divorce from Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza. The duo ended their marriage officially in January 2024.

However, they are continuing to co-parent their son Izhaan. While Sania has the primary custody of the child, Shoaib Malik revealed that he visits his son at least twice a month in Dubai.

He opened up about his bond with his son recently on a Pakistani Ramzan show, where he said that their relationship is more of a friendship.

“Uske saath jo relationship hai woh ek dosti wala hai. (The relationship with him is that of friendship). He calls me bro, and sometimes I also call him bro. I make sure to visit him twice a month in Dubai, and while I’m there, I personally drop him to school and pick him up,” he was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Shoaib also revealed how his bond with his son is and that they connect on a video call and discuss things regularly.

“Mera uske saath bahaut acha bond hai (I have a very good bond with him). Everyday we connect on a video call and discuss everything,” he added.

Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza ended their marriage after staying together for 14 years.

Shoaib Malik’s record for Pakistan in international cricket

While he is currently not playing international cricket for Pakistan, he is still playing competitive cricket at the age of 43, participating in the ongoing National T20 Cup, captaining the Sialkot Region team.

He has played 35 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 1898 runs along with 32 wickets. In white-ball cricket, he has played 287 ODIs, scoring 7534 runs and taking 158 wickets. From 124 T20Is, he has scored 2435 runs and has grabbed 28 wickets.

Moreover, Shoaib Malik is a veteran, having played in T20 franchise leagues all over the world. He has played as many as 552 T20s, amassing 13535 runs along with 186 wickets with the ball.

The all-rounder also played in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he represented the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).