MUMBAI, Feb 1: Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik was playing on a sticky wicket on Friday after an Indian girl, insisting to be his wife, demanded a divorce following a denial from the all-rounder that he ever married her.

Malik has been accused by this girl, Ayesha Siddiqui from Hyderabad Deccan, of not allowing her to divorce him. The father of the girl Mohammad Siddiqui said she wanted a divorce from the Pakistani captain in order to begin a new life. Siddiqui was reacting to Malik’s statement in Karachi, made on Jan 21 when the cricketer claimed that no ‘nikah’ had taken place between him and Ayesha.

Siddiqui said his daughter had married Malik in June 2002 and that they had proof of the nikah as well. “The nikah of my daughter (Ayesha) with Shoaib Malik took place on June 3, 2002. We also have the proof,” said Siddiqui amid reports that the couple got ‘married’ through a telephone nikah on that date.

“We had a big party three years ago. The entire Pakistani team was here along with late coach Bob Woolmer. Malik advised us against inviting a lot of people then and that’s the reason the whole affair was quiet ceremony.”

“After the marriage too, Malik has visited here and have stayed with us many a times.”

Siddiqui said the family will move the court if his daughter does not get divorce which was needed to help her start a “new life.”

Malik had said in his earlier statement: “Yes I had a long relationship with her and we planned to get married. But no nikah ever took place and in the end our families could not reach an understanding on various things,” Malik had said.

Siddiqui alleged Malik wanted to end the relationship not for the reasons he had stated but “just to gain oodwill and build his image.”

Siddiqui said his daughter was “devastated and traumatised” by the whole issue and claimed she was hospitalised many times.—Agencies