Shoaib Malik welcomes Windies Women’s team to Pakistan

After a long time, cricket and its practitioners have started making a slow comeback to Pakistan and the excitement is getting louder. International teams have been avoiding travelling to Pakistan since a horrific terror attack on Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 and the players had to be airlifted from the middle of the ground to safety. The country also missed the opportunity to stage the third World Cup which was held in the sub-continent in 2011.

But now, things have started changing even though the concerns haven’t died down. After the men’s team of the Windies toured Pakistan last year for limited-overs matches, it is the turn for the women’s team and acting Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has welcomed the Caribbean eves to his country.

Even though Malik is currently in South Africa, getting ready to lead his team in the deciding game of the five-match series in Cape Town on Wednesday, he did not forget to roll out the red carpet for the Windies women’s team. The Windies will take on Pakistan in three T20I matches in Karachi on January 31, February 1 and 3.

Windies women’s captain Stafanie Taylor pulled out of Pak tour

However, even the visit of the women’s team to Pakistan was not without controversy. Regular captain Stafanie Taylor, one of the game’s top stars, refused to tour owing to security concerns and was replaced by former captain Merissa Aguilleira. Taylor will only join the team for the ODI series which will be played in the UAE after the T20Is.

In his tweet, the soon-to-turn 37 Shoaib Malik welcomed Aguilleira and her team and hoped they would explore the city of Karachi where he grew up. He also felt that the visiting team players will explore the beautiful city of Karachi during their stay in the country.

On his captaincy front, Malik had a memorable last game as Pakistan hammered the Proteas in the fourth ODI in Johannesburg by 8 wickets to level the series 2-2. He took over after regular captain Sarfaraz Ahmed who was handed a four-match ban for using a racial slur against South African cricketer Andile Phehlukwayo.

Here’s Malik’s tweet:

Welcome to Pakistan @mraguilleira and team, exciting times! All the best for the series and hope you get some time to check out the beautiful city of Karachi where I grew up. I’m sure @mir_sana05 @maroof_bismah and team have planned some fun activities, hope you all enjoy 🇵🇰 https://t.co/jVKNJkDXpv

— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) January 30, 2019

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