With fans on both sides crestfallen over reports that the cross-border star couple Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza could be heading for a split, one half of that duo broke silence on Friday.
The veteran all-round cricketer from Sialkot had pursued international tennis star Sania Mirza in what was a fairytale saga of cross-border love pursued across seven continents.
But there were some subtle hints that fans had been picking up recently about the duo.
And greater credence was given to rumors earlier this week when a common friend of the couple suggested everything between the two was over save signing on the dotted line and agreeing to a set of steps.
There was a suggestion that when they married over 12 years ago, a pre-nuptial agreement may have been signed which could be dictating a series of steps that both sides probably had to undertake before things were final.
A major point of concern also seemed to be custody of their young son and his parenting needs.
But the international cricketer, who is currently offering commentary and analysis for a private sports network on the ongoing International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, finally broke his silence on the matter on Friday.
Malik spoke to SAMAA TV on Friday and was eventually asked about reports that his marriage had all but fallen apart.
Malik, much like Sania, continued the tradition adopted by the duo surrounding their private life – little, if any expression betrayed at all.
In a brief response to the question surrounding the future of his marriage, the right-handed batsman said: Ignore them.
It was the same advice he had for his fans.
Did Sania react?
There has been a scant reaction from Sania on the reports as well.
On Thursday, she shared an image on her Instagram account in athletic attire, probably mid-jog. The image carried no caption but just four emojis.
On Friday, she shared a story on her account which promoted her Dubai-based tennis academy.
Curiously, it advertised a tennis course – which, by the looks of the image included, seemed to attract a younger segment of pupils.
The dates for the course were set as November 1st to December 16.
November 1 has long passed. While the second date evokes painful memories for Pakistanis.
But if you are a tennis lover, you can perhaps get one of the limited slots for just AED600.
