Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has wished Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza a happy married life but he feels the all-rounder's controversial past involving an alleged first wife Ayesha Siddiqui will do him no good.
"First up, many congratulations to Shoaib Malik, although the juicy news about his previous relationship will do him no good. Whatever the facts are, I would like to wish Sania Mirza and Shoaib a good life together. Marriage is sacred," Akram wrote in a column for ESPN.
Shoaib is currently facing the threat of legal action from Ayesha and her family, who claim that the cricketer married her over phone and later dumped her due to her weight problems without taking a formal divorce.
The Siddiqui family has demanded that Shoaib divorce Ayesha before his April 15 wedding with Indian tennis ace Sania.
Meanwhile, Akram criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board for imposing indefinite bans on Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. While Younis is still pondering over his next move, an emotional Yousuf has announced international retirement.
"Pakistan cricket continues to intrigue me. Quite a few things are making headlines and unfortunately, almost all for the wrong reasons!" he wrote.
"I have said in my previous column that the PCB had no business to slap indefinite bans on cricketers. Hence Younis will have a very strong case whenever he seeks legal help. It will be interesting to see how the PCB reacts then. Governance has never been PCB's strong point for various reasons," he said.
"More than Younis, the decision made by Yousuf has saddened me. His retirement will definitely hurt Pakistan in Test cricket. You can't replace a man with 24 Test centuries and 7000 runs. It's a pity the way Pakistan have treated their best players.
"Just like Yousuf, Pakistan have not respected many former stars. I am not sure if this is the way to treat players who have served you with excellence for over two decades. At least, they deserve a testimonial game, a warm send-off and a moment that will stay forever in their hearts," he added.
