As Grand Slam-winning Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and former Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik prepare for the arrival of their first child in October, Gulf News tabloid! caught up with the all-rounder on the new phase in his life.
Professional athletes have a certain lifestyle: being away from home, travelling. But it’d be unfair to the child if their parents can’t give them time.”
Malik, 36, who has played in more than 35 test matches for Pakistan between 2001 and 2015, displayed the same well-rounded approach when it came to his new chapter. Here are excerpts from our e-mail interview with the cricket player as we discussed the arrival of his baby, paternity leave and more…
Congratulations on becoming a parent soon. What were your thoughts when you realised that Sania Mirza and you were going to have a baby?
Thank you. It’s yet to sink in, but this is a special time for us before our child arrives. Things are already looking good. There are about four months left for the pregnancy, so Sania and I are spending a lot of time together, which was not possible earlier due to our professional commitments.
Have you thought about what kind of a parent you would be? Sania, who was wonderful and articulate when we met her at your home in Dubai, feels you were far more prepared for a baby than she was?
I am using this time to prepare myself by reading books, talking to my friends who have been parenting for a while and even watching videos on YouTube. Having said that, I’m not at all worried about it because I know parenting comes naturally to Sania. I can see it already because her part and journey as a mother started a few months ago.
Parenting is a life-altering choice and you are in a sport that involves travelling. Have you considered scaling back at work?
Professional athletes who represent their country at the highest level have a certain lifestyle: being away from home and family, loads of travelling and continuous training. All this is time-consuming. But it would be unfair to the child if their parents can’t give them their time. I retired from my favourite format (Test) about two years ago, and one of the reasons was to spend more time with my family. I am planning to retire from the one-day format next year after the World Cup, which will allow me to be around my child, who will be around nine months or so then. I plan to play International Cricket until 2020, let’s see.
In an ideal scenario, do you think paternity leave should be sanctioned for cricketers so that there’s a healthy work-life balance?
The simple answer: Yes, of course but it’s not that simple. In cricket or any sport for that matter, a break of any kind may not be a choice. There is no perfect setting to “work-life-balance” as it’s very competitive. A friend of mine had a paid three-month paternity leave and I wish I could do that.
As a couple, you took a progressive stand when it came to christening your future child with both the mother and the father’s surname. Whose idea was it and what was the intention?
We discussed this in the beginning and we both came up with it together. It’s not a move, but a statement. My family history and my family name comes with a lot of honour, which I celebrate with pride. It should be the same for Sania. Being a husband or a wife or a mother or a father should not change that for either. Having a shared surname is in line with how we went about when we got married: Sania Mirza remained Sania Mirza and was not changed to Sania Malik.
Your union came with a backlash as you hail from rival nations. Do you think each year has seen an erosion in that resistance to you both as a couple?
Backlash? Actually no, our families were supportive from day one and I got the exact same love from the people and even the officials of both the countries. Yes, there were a few people talking but there will always be a few. But we also know how to ensure that the negativity does not spoil the joy and we have learnt that through our years in professional sports. We have become stronger over the years as a couple.
It’s observed that you returned to great form since you married Sania. Without taking the glory away from you, do you think she was that proverbial wind beneath your wings?
You think if I was not in form, then Sania would marry me? See, the beauty of our marriage, unlike most or all other athletes, is that we are both professional athletes. We know what backing yourself and backing your partner means. When Sania was confused about her career in the single’s world, we talked about it and came up with a plan. When I was out of the International side for a while, again we discussed the objectives and had a plan. Sania’s support — whether it was her coming to watch the match or motivating me on the bad days — is immense. She’s the pillar of my strength.
