In this age of email and mobile phones, Shoaib Malik has taken digital communication to unprecedented heights. Malik's 'nikah' (marriage ceremony) was performed on 25 April 2002 over a telephone. The 'ruksati' (the final rite, when he actually gets to live with the bride) will be performed in December this year.

The bride, Ayesha Khan, is 18 years old and lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is a second-year student in a dental college there; her father is a businessman and an American national, but Pakistani by birth.

Malik's marriage is notable for the fact that his is a rather unconventional one in a conservative society, since it is a 'love marriage' rather than the more common 'arranged' type, in which the parents make all the arrangements.

Malik first met her in Dubai during the Sharjah Cup in April last year. Just two days after the 'nikah,' he celebrated by scoring a brilliant 115 against New Zealand in the third one-day international on April 27 2002.

The 20-year-old all-rounder from Sialkot also took three for 37 in the match, his career-best performance. Malik has played two Test matches and 23 one-day internationals for Pakistan.

© CricInfo