Zulqarnain Haider Found in London, Not Dubai, After Suspect Contact With Bookies

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

       The news may be sidelined but it is no small matter. The Pakistan wicket keeper is speculated to be on his way to the UK after leaving the Pakistan team in Dubai without seeking prior permission.

      The most astounding piece of information before the fifth and final ODI that would decide the winner of the South Africa Pakistan ODI series in the UAE was that Zulqarnain Haider had mysteriously disappeared overnight after picking up his passport from the Pakistan officials under false pretenses.When last noted, television reports suggest it is Haider in London.

      What has made the whole affair a matter of speculation is the reporting of his leaving a message on his social networking page on Facebook as his having to disappear following hounding by someone who did not like the fact that Pakistan had won the match. The fingers naturally point to the bookies and the consortium of networking allies that are set to have close links with the Pakistan cricket team, the speculation of which has been the subject matter of Pakistan’s tour of England which the ICC have been unable to conclusively prove, as three Pakistan cricketers – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer continue to await their fate following suspension from the ICC first and then, suspension of contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

      Incidentally, Haider was one of three Pakistan cricketers including Shahzaib Hasan and Abdul Rehman to have been punished by the PCB for staying beyond curfew hours during the ongoing Dubai series. Whether this is then a snap reaction to that decision or whether there is merit in the sinister suspicions can only be revealed when Haider can be found and coerced to come clean.

         Even as South Africa may have their hand around the throat of the Pakistan innings in the final ODI, it appears there are more deep seated problems that Pakistan cricket may be waking up to as the PCB and the ICC indeed will be extremely keen to unearth the truth in the matter.

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