LAHORE: Struggling veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has sought a 10-day personal leave from the national team management in England ahead of the limited-overs series against the hosts and the all-important World Cup.

Sarfraz Ahmed-led Pakistan launch their long England tour on May 5 with the one-off T20 International against the hosts followed by a five-game ODI series against them that runs from May 8-19. The 10-nation World Cup is scheduled to start on May 30.

“The Pakistan team management has given leave to Shoaib Malik so that he can return home to deal with a personal issue. He is expected to rejoin the team in 10 days’ time. The PCB will not be making any further comments and fully expects all concerned to respect Shoaib’s privacy,” a PCB press release issued on the subject stated on Monday.

However, Malik’s decision to leave the national assignment even before its start appears a bit surprising, particularly, when he is out of touch and all 11 matches ahead of the World Cup could have helped him regain his form.

If all goes as per schedule, Malik will rejoin the national team a couple of days before the start of the second ODI against England, scheduled for May 11 in Southampton.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019