Threats force Haider to retire
Source: Agencies |
November 10, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider retired from international cricket yesterday after fleeing from Dubai to Britain because he said he feared for his safety after being ordered to cooperate with match-fixers.
Haider, 24, told the Geo News channel in Karachi he felt unable to continue in the Pakistan team after being approached by a person who asked him to fix the fourth and fifth one-day internationals against South Africa.
"I have decided it is best for me to retire from international cricket since my family and I are constantly getting threats," he said.
"It is best for me to step down because I can't play in these circumstances. But I would like to continue to play domestic cricket."
Haider was a member of the Pakistan team whose tour of England this year degenerated into chaos when test captain Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended following spot-fixing allegations.
A newspaper report said the trio had arranged for deliberate no-balls to be delivered in the fourth and final test against England.
The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit upheld the provisional suspensions on Butt and Amir after the pair appealed. Asif withdrew his appeal in order to give his lawyers more time to prepare their case.
Their fate will now be determined by an independent tribunal which will meet at a date yet to be set.
Haider, who hit the winning runs in the fourth one-day match in the United Arab Emirates last Friday, left the team hotel hours before the fifth which was won by South Africa, which took the series 3-2.
Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam confirmed that Haider had taken the passport from him, saying he wanted it to obtain a new SIM card for his mobile phone.
Landed in London
He landed in London hours after leaving Dubai and spent almost four hours locked in discussions with immigration authorities before finally emerging from Heathrow airport.
Speaking about his decision to leave, he said: "I was told to cooperate or I would face lot of problems.
"This person approached me while I had gone out of the hotel for dinner. He told me cooperate with us and you can make a lot of money.
"He said, 'If you don't cooperate you will no longer be part of the team and we can make life very difficult for you'."
Haider would not detail the threats, but Pakistan police beefed up security at his house in Lahore "to avoid any untoward incident," according to senior police official Sahahzada Salim.
Haider said he had not yet decided whether to seek political asylum in Britain.
"I have not thought about this - I don't even have enough money to hire a lawyer," he said. "My only concern now is the security of my family in Lahore."
Haider, 24, told the Geo News channel in Karachi he felt unable to continue in the Pakistan team after being approached by a person who asked him to fix the fourth and fifth one-day internationals against South Africa.
"I have decided it is best for me to retire from international cricket since my family and I are constantly getting threats," he said.
"It is best for me to step down because I can't play in these circumstances. But I would like to continue to play domestic cricket."
Haider was a member of the Pakistan team whose tour of England this year degenerated into chaos when test captain Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended following spot-fixing allegations.
A newspaper report said the trio had arranged for deliberate no-balls to be delivered in the fourth and final test against England.
The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit upheld the provisional suspensions on Butt and Amir after the pair appealed. Asif withdrew his appeal in order to give his lawyers more time to prepare their case.
Their fate will now be determined by an independent tribunal which will meet at a date yet to be set.
Haider, who hit the winning runs in the fourth one-day match in the United Arab Emirates last Friday, left the team hotel hours before the fifth which was won by South Africa, which took the series 3-2.
Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam confirmed that Haider had taken the passport from him, saying he wanted it to obtain a new SIM card for his mobile phone.
Landed in London
He landed in London hours after leaving Dubai and spent almost four hours locked in discussions with immigration authorities before finally emerging from Heathrow airport.
Speaking about his decision to leave, he said: "I was told to cooperate or I would face lot of problems.
"This person approached me while I had gone out of the hotel for dinner. He told me cooperate with us and you can make a lot of money.
"He said, 'If you don't cooperate you will no longer be part of the team and we can make life very difficult for you'."
Haider would not detail the threats, but Pakistan police beefed up security at his house in Lahore "to avoid any untoward incident," according to senior police official Sahahzada Salim.
Haider said he had not yet decided whether to seek political asylum in Britain.
"I have not thought about this - I don't even have enough money to hire a lawyer," he said. "My only concern now is the security of my family in Lahore."
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