Malala Yousafzai and her new husband Asser Malik are putting their honeymoon on hold to watch from London as Pakistan take on Australia in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi, her father has revealed.
“We are delighted for Malala and Asser but like so many Pakistanis, they are cricket mad,” Ziauddin Yousafzai said.
“On Thursday, we will all be watching Pakistan in the semi-final and that includes Malala and Asser, even though they have just got married.
"They will be at home in front of the television closely following the game. It's a huge match and none of us want to miss it. We are all praying for a Pakistan victory.”
He said the couple had not ruled out the possibility of travelling to Dubai if the team make it to Sunday's final the T20 World Cup.
“There are no definite plans but if Pakistan do get to the final, then it would not surprise me if Malala and Asser go to Dubai to watch it," Mr Yousafzai said.
"We'll have to wait and see what happens in the semi-final first."
Malala and Asser, a manager with Pakistan cricket's governing board, were married in the city of Birmingham on Tuesday and celebrated at home with their families.
“Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life,” Ms Yousafzai said on Twitter.
“We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead."
Thousands of people rushed to congratulate Ms Yousafzai, 24, in reply to her Twitter post, including former US president Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials from across the world.
At the age of 15, Ms Yousafzai survived being shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012.
She was flown to Birmingham on a UAE air ambulance to receive medical treatment and made England her home.
In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism for girls' education.
Ms Yousafzai graduated from the University of Oxford but then deferred her place at Harvard in the US to focus on running the Malala Fund with her father.
Malala Yousafzai's life in pictures
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Malala Yousafzai opens the new Library of Birmingham at Centenary Square on September 3, 2013, in Birmingham, England. Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman two years ago for insisting that girls as well as boys have the right to an education. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images -
On October 9, 2012, Pakistani hospital workers carry injured Malala Yousafzai, then 14, on a stretcher after her assassination attempt by gunmen in Mingora. Mohammed Rehman / AFP Photo -
News of her shooting led to protests in Pakistan and other countries on October 10, 2012. Aamir Qureshi / AFP Photo -
Pakistani soldiers carry Malala from a helicopter to a military hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. She whould be later transferred from Pakistan to the UK via Abu Dhabi for life-saving treatment. Inter Services Public Relations Department / AP Photo -
Malala Yousafzai recovers in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, on October 12, 2012. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust / AP Photo -
Malala with her family on October 26, 2012, her brothers Khushal Khan, third right, and Apal Kha, right, and father Ziauddin Yousufzai, at the hospital in Birmingham. Queen Elizabeth Hospital / University Hospitals Birmingham / AFP Photo -
On July 13, 2013, Malala Yousafzai speaks before the United Nations Youth Assembly at UN headquarters in New York as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, and Vuk Jeremic, right, President of the UN General Assembly listen. Stan Honda / AFP Photo -
On March 19, 2013, Malala Yousafzai is pictured holding a backpack in Birmingham as she returns to school for the first time. Liz Cave / Malala Press office / AFP Photo -
Former classmates at Malala Yousafzai’s hometown of Mingora in Pakistan in September 2013. It was thought she was going to win the Peace Prize in 2013. Aamir Quereshi / AFP Photo -
Malala Yousafzai won other awards, pictured here on October 7, 2013, by the Daily Mirror newspaper, David Beckham presents a Mirror Pride of Britain Teenager of Courage Award to Malala. Philip Coburn, Daily Mirror / AP Photo -
Malala Yousafzai gives a copy of her book, I Am Malala, to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II during a reception at Buckingham Palace on October 18, 2013. Yui Mok / AP Photo -
Malala Yousafzai receives the Sakharov Prize at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on November 20, 2013. Patrick Seeger / EPA -
Malala Yousafzai visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on January 2, 2014. WAM -
Malala Yousafzai giving a press conference after meeting with the Nigerian president in Abuja on July 14,2014. The Malala Fund focuses on improving education in Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria among others. Wole Emmanuel / AFP Photo -
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai meets UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at United Nations headquarters. Stan Honda / AFP Photo / August 18, 2014 -
Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjorn Jagland holds photos of children’s rights activists Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, right, and Kailash Satyarthi of India, winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2014. Vegard Wivestad Grott, Scanpix / AP Photo
She founded the organisation to implement education programmes for girls around the world.
Ms Yousafzai is loved in many parts of the world, especially in western countries, for her courage and her eloquence in promoting the rights of girls and women. In Pakistan, her activism has divided public opinion.
In July this year, she told British Vogue magazine that she was not sure whether she would ever marry.
“I still don’t understand why people have to get married," Ms Yousafzai said. "If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?”
The comment drew criticism from many social media users in Pakistan.
