Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan skipper, found himself in the midst of controversy following his third marriage to Sana Javed, triggering a significant social media backlash. However, matters took a turn for the worse on Friday (January 26), as his contract with Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) faced termination.

Fortune Barishal takes swift action: Contract termination of Shoaib Malik

The scrutiny intensified after Malik’s lacklustre performance in a recent BPL 2024 match, where he bowled three no-balls in a single over, conceding 18 runs against Khulna Tigers. Additionally, his batting yielded only five runs from six balls in the death overs.

The aftermath of this subpar performance saw fans questioning Malik’s intentions, with speculations arising about the deliberate nature of the bowled no-balls, hinting at potential fixing. Responding to the mounting suspicions, The Barishal franchise took decisive action by terminating Malik’s contract, as reported by a Bangladesh-based journalist on social media.

🚨 BREAKING: Fortune Barisal has terminated the contract of Shoaib Malik on the suspicion of “fixing”. During a recent match, Malik, who is a spinner, bowled three no balls in one over. Mizanur Rahman, the team owner of Fortune Barishal, has confirmed the news. #BPL2024 pic.twitter.com/wOh6yE6hoT

— Syed Sami (@MrSyedSami) January 26, 2024

Also READ: Fans troll Shoaib Malik as he steps over a line three times during Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers clash in BPL 2024

Fans backlash

Following the termination of Malik’s contract by Barishal, social media platforms have witnessed an outpour of reactions from fans. The online community, known for its quick and often intense responses, has now turned to roasting the veteran cricketer over his recent suspension from the T20 league.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Pakistani players and Fixing, nothing new. From Mohammad Amri, Salman butt, Mohammad Asif and now Shaoib Malik too..

Fortune Barisal has terminated the contract of Shoaib Malik on the suspicion of “fixing”. During a recent match, Malik, who is a spinner, bowled three no balls… pic.twitter.com/50wRU8uNbN

— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) January 26, 2024

Shoaib Malik’s BPL contract has been terminated over suspicion ‘match fixing’ case after his 3 No Balls.pic.twitter.com/8wdYKCZhEl

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 26, 2024

Just before leaving for Dubai for personal reasons, Shoaib Malik bowled 3 No balls in an over. Now without any evidence, Shoaib Malik’s BPL franchise has suspended him over the alleged ‘spot-fixing’. The issue is, what if the allegations put against him turned out to be baseless,… pic.twitter.com/IMgK5QQ6qe

— Nawaz 🇵🇰 (@Rnawaz31888) January 26, 2024

As per Bangladesh media, Shoaib Malik’s contract is terminated after he bowled three no-balls in an over. What is the claim hinting at? 🙄 pic.twitter.com/JncFztFJuP

— Alisha Imran (@Alishaimran111) January 26, 2024

The fixing allegations against me are baseless. I deliberately bowled those three no balls as a gesture of homage to my three wives – Shoaib Malik pic.twitter.com/OhYgyP07VJ

— Heisenberg (@rovvmut_) January 26, 2024

Shoaib Malik’s BPL contract has been terminated due to alleged match fixing

Indians: pic.twitter.com/1aK2L0lvuE

— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) January 26, 2024

Breaking : Shoaib Malik’s BPL contract has been terminated over suspicions of ‘match fixing’ case after his 3 No Balls.

Waise Shoaib Malik Paxtan ka Rakhi Sawant hai, bus kuch bhi ho jaye limelight mein rehna chahta hai

— desi mojito 🇮🇳 (@desimojito) January 26, 2024

Shoaib Malik received warm welcome from senior fixers ,they also expressed disappointment over the fact that he got sold in takkas and not ponds #BPL24 #PSL9 #INDvsENG #TheTraitorsUK pic.twitter.com/EN1OrubYrB

— U M A R (@Agrumpycomedian) January 26, 2024

It’s not Fixing he was just arranging money for his next marriage 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻#ShoaibMalik

— عاقد (@aquidtweets) January 26, 2024

Shoaib Malik is very intelligent.

Just to get rid of his 3 marriage gaaliyan, he bowled 3 no balls to divert his gaaliyan.

Both India and Pakistan shouldn’t forget the fact that he deserves more abuse for his 3 marriages.@realshoaibmalik

Real shoaib malik is unreal😂😂

— Kartik Gupta (@Kartik10081) January 26, 2024

Malik’s suspension echoes past match-fixing concerns

This incident adds to a history of match-fixing suspicions involving Pakistan players, including the infamous case of Mohammed Amir, who admitted to spot-fixing in 2010, leading to a five-year ban. Despite Amir’s subsequent retirement from international cricket, he continues to participate in various franchise cricket leagues across the globe. The termination of Malik’s BPL contract raises broader questions about integrity and fair play in the realm of professional cricket.

Also READ: Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir names the Indian bowler he finds most impressive

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