“I understand there is rule in Britain that if you are on right and if you are not a criminal, then they always protect you,” Haider said. —AP Photo
LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has retired from international cricket and is reportedly seeking political asylum in Britain amid alleged threats from match-fixers.
Haider left the Pakistan team in Dubai on Monday and flew to London after claiming he had been offered money to lose matches against South Africa, the latest twist in the fixing scandals rocking the team.
The 24-year-old Haider would not identify who threatened him or the nature of the threats that prompted him to flee the team hotel in Dubai and travel to England without telling anyone.
“I was approached by one person who asked me to fix the fourth and fifth match and there would be problem for me if I did not do it,” Haider told Pakistan’s Geo Television. “I do not want to say who is involved and who is not involved in the match fixing.”
Haider said he received threats after scoring the winning run in Friday’s one-wicket in the fourth one-day international in Dubai. South Africa won the fifth and decisive ODI on Monday and clinched the series 3-2.
“The country is like a mother and anyone who sells it cannot get anything in life,” Haider said. “I did not want to sell my mother. I did not want to sell my country and I did what I thought was better.”
Following Friday’s match, Haider asked a Pakistan Cricket Board official for his passport, pretending that he needed it to buy a mobile phone connection, and then left the hotel three days later to fly to London.
“I did not do what I was asked to do in the fourth one-dayer and I also did not let it happen what was being asked to do, so this is the reason that I left it and came here and I did what I felt better,” he said.
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.
“I cannot say what kind of threats I have received as my family is still in Pakistan,” Haider said, adding his reluctance to provide details was in the interests of family safety.
Haider’s older brother, Raza, told The Associated Press that Zulqarnain called him Tuesday to confirm his retirement.
“Just two hours ago my brother called me saying he cannot take any more pressure and is retiring from international cricket,” Raza said.
He added that his younger brother said he could not perform to the best of his abilities under the circumstances and “could not get along with the team.”
“My brother is now in contact with PCB officials and he is going to apprise the PCB officials in writing of what he had gone through,” Raza said.
Haider arrived in London on Monday and, in an interview broadcast by Geo television on Tuesday, said he had discussed his status with immigration officials and “according to their rules, I will have to follow this procedure.”
“I understand there is rule in Britain that if you are on right and if you are not a criminal, then they always protect you,” Haider said.
Raza Haider said his brother was asked by U.K. immigration authorities to appear with a lawyer. He said the family was sending Zulqarnain money he received for playing in Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year.
British Home Office spokesman Simon Barrett said immigration policy did not allow him to comment on individual cases.
Haider is staying at a hotel near Heathrow Airport while his case is being decided, his brother said.
Julie Gibbs, spokeswoman for the London-based Information Center about Asylum and Refugees, said Pakistani citizens seeking asylum in the U.K. were usually dealt with on a “fast-track system.”
“There’s a list of countries where people who ask asylum from those countries they get on a fast-track and are dealt with within seven days,” she said.
Gibbs said it was unlikely Haider would be granted political asylum if he requested it, while emphasizing that each case was different.
“He’s not got a good chance. Pakistan isn’t really an asylum country,” she said.
The alleged threats and match fixing are the latest setback for a Pakistan team that has been troubled by matters off the pitch.
In August, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were accused of involvement in an alleged betting scandal during a test in England.
The ICC charged the trio with corruption in September after allegations they were paid for bowling no-balls at prearranged times against England to fix spot-betting markets.
Pakistan selectors replaced Haider with uncapped 25-year-old Adnan Akmal – brother of test players Umar and Kamran – for the two test matches against South Africa. The first test begins in Dubai from Friday.
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WHT EVER IS SUITATION GIONG ON WITH PAKISTAN CRICKET TEAM INSPITE OF IT OUR TEAM IS PERFORMING WELL SPECIALLY IN ODI’S SO THIS THING IS SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY RISING THEIR MORAL. SO BE READY FOR WATCHING SOME TERRIFYING MATCHES DURING WORLD CUP 2011 SPECIALLY OF PAKISTAN. ALL THE BEST TO OUR TEAM AND PRAY FOR PAKISTAN TEAM.
Alas! A great cricket-playing country is systematically destroying its own cricket culture.
Haider claims POLITICAL ASYLUM because he is being chased by “GANGSTERS”(1 SMS 1 FACEBOOK MESSAGE) and he also wants his family to join him in UK ….because the English are so loving …they must all be vomiting the same time after hearing that shluck statement
Believe it or not, this is a very pleasant place to live. I would not swap the life here in UK for that of Pakistan, I read your newspapers daily. I have a loved one in Pakistan and I will do all I can to bring him here and out of danger, which seems ever prevalent in Pakistan. Your Cricketer would find County Cricket quite peaceful, especially here in Sussex. The English are quite loving and forgiving too.
Oh yeah Jean have you never read the hate blogs on MSN news articles if it involves Pakistanis…I’m english my wifes Pakistani AND I HAVE NEVER FELT IN DANGER HERE FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS ….so I dont know who is chasing your “loved one” here but I guess anything goes to get a UK visa
Nobody is chasing him he is working for the UN in the hills distributing food and medicines. It is a dangerous job, Peshawar is almost on the front line. Sorry to disappoint but he loves Pakistan.I do not think for one minute that he is angling for a UK Visa. What are you doing to help the poor people in distress with winter almost on them and no proper homes?
His actions sound fishy! The ICC headquarters are in Dubai,NOT England. If the alleged threats were true and he felt that someone in the PCB setup was involved, he could have gone straight to the ICC, which is what he and the other players were briefed by the ICC at the start of the series. The rules are to approach your management or the ICC.His actions regardles would have resulted in his family being offered protection.He refuses to divulge any concrete proof, except that he ‘did not know ‘ the identity of the man’ he was approached by. I am not trying to defend Pakistan cricket here but really, if you read the papers here in the UK, Mr Haider has been told by the Home office that his case for political asylum will be rejected because there is no threat to him by the government or concrete evidence.NOw all of a sudden Mr Haider has started making comments that he would consider playing cricket for Pakistan again. I sincerely hope, that the the HOme office releases the details and the ICC interview him at the earliest. We have had enough of this nonsense. There is credible evidence against Butt,asif and Amir but this seems like Mr Haider wante dto claim asylum and play county cricket here.
Anyone suggesting an inquiry into the affairs of Pakistan cricket is suggesting futher waste of public money– Never in the history of Pakistan any findings of any commission were taken seriously by incumbent authorities-
The things cannot otherwise, when the country is in the grip of a dark and darkening and corruption breeding feudalism at all levels of the society. See how difficult is proving the task of unrevelling this vicious knot for the judicial institutions of the country. However, one cannot forgive these people who run to London for their salvation causing more harm to the country, because the declining West is the source of most of this criminal enterprise.
When a non elected individual with military power can hijack the whole nation (Musharaff etc) law has ceased to exist in Pakistan. Everything else is just a natural extension of this lack of respect for “Human law”.
Clearly, after what Zardari and his cronies have done to this country, Musharraff looks like an angel now
Amir,
Zardari may be corrupt but he is elected and can be removed. Big difference. The reason Pakistan is where it is now is because of acceptance of another figure over the elected…Zia.
As an analogy – To do a good heart transplant you need to follow procedures and have an establishment. A good doctor alone cannot do a thing. You can always hire good doctors who you should be able to fire if they kill patients. Focusing on individual over procedure is a key problem with Pakistan. Either way Musharaff was instrumental in getting Pakistan in this mess in the first place.
Musharraf was also removed because his party lost the elections. These sort of antics were not heard in Musharraf’s time, and you need to move on from Musharraf and focus on today’s rulers and their mess, exhibit A of which is the current state of Pakistan cricket.
Why all the strange things are happening with Pakistan Cricket only? Instead of come back in Pakistan in their home country he decided to go to another country? Why? He does not have faith in his own country?It seems there is something terribly wrong with Pakistani Cricket Team. I think it’s very high time now Government of Pakistan should intervene and conduct a high level inquiry to save the image of Pakistan and punish those people who are destroying the image of Pakistan…….
how much more… oh please Allah , Help us.
Ejaz Butt, how much more?
as far is Zunny is concerned, its just another embarresment.
A good drama with out any TV
Really comedy show in pak cricket
Is Zulqarnain a player you would approach to fix a match ? He is an average wicketkeeper and not even a proper batsman. Just because you helped to win a match once does not make you so important. There is something else to this story !
So now you have categories of players for fixing as well? Hahaha. Do you need to be told that a wicketkeeper dropping catches can MOST DEFINITELY decide the outcome of the match?? Remember how many Akmal dropped on one fine day?
Amazing!!
Nice Plan bro to acquire UK nationality.