The son of Azeez Mohamed Mubarak, a first-class cricketer himself and later a prominent scientist, Mubarak was born in Washington, D.C., making him, with West Indian Ken Weekes, one of only two Test cricketers born in the United States. His family soon returned to Sri Lanka, however, where he was educated at Royal College Colombo, winning the coveted Royal Crown for cricket and colours in water polo. He holds a degree in Physical Science from University of Colombo. Mubarak was initially spotted at a Cricket training camp in Dambulla by former players Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, and subsequently labeled one of the brightest future stars of Sri Lankan cricket.