Ever since he was banned for life by the Indian cricket board in the aftermatch of the match-fixing saga in 2000, Mohammed Azharuddin was not allowed entry into any cricket ground within and outside India.
But former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, who is serving a one-year ban slapped by his national board, had an hour-long practice at the Gymkhana on Wednesday morning and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials, it seems, did nothing to prevent that from happening.
The city’s most talked about son-in-law, Malik has returned from Pakistan and is trying to make up for lost time by getting back into shape. The all-rounder along with his wife Sania Mirza and former Andhra Cricket Association secretary V Chamundeswaranath spent considerable time at the Gymkhana, where the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy and under-19 players are having their special summer camp.