The curious case of Pakistan cricket just got curiouser: their wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, has gone missing in Dubai, leaving only a curious message on his Facebook page:
Also, a message from Zulqarnain’s mobile received on cellphone of a friend and our sources correspondent Sohail Imran, said he is leaving the cricket as someone is giving him murder threats.The SMS received on Sohail Imran’s mobile phone said, ‘Match haar jao’ (Lose match.)
PakTribune also reports that Pakistan's team management holds Haider's passport, which is contradicted by this article at cricinfo, in which is reported that Haider asked for his passport yesterday offering the explanation that he needed for something quite mundane.
The article by Geoffrey Boycott discussed here earlier, he wrote:
People have been quick to judge the Pakistani cricketers, but what is happening might have nothing to do with money.If these allegations of fixing are proved, it could be related to extortion, threats, and the well-being of their own family members. It would not surprise me if illegal bookmakers have told players that if they do not perform X and Y, their families will be kidnapped or harmed.
I must say that this latest development lends more credence to Boycott's curious and chilling tale. I know we all hope that Zulqarnian Haider and his family (which according to cricinfo has been supplied with security from the Lahore police) are safe and all right.
I note that also missing in action is, of course, the ICC.
UPDATE: There are now reports that Haider is in Karachi:
UPDATE 2: Now you see him, now you don't: apparently reports of Haider sightings in Karachi were wrong: he is now reported to have turned up at Heathrow, England:
2 Comments:
I thought it was just AWOL till now, but it's much bigger and what a role model this guy is!
Did you? No, I never thought that. I did think the entire situation really strange and actually slightly spooky. (For instance, why would the Pakistani players not have possession of their own passports? Are they prisoners of their management there in Dubai?) For a while, I confess I wondered whether he was alive. It's a horror story. Thankfully, though, so far without the loss of life.
Post a Comment
Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted but to weigh and consider.
- Francis Bacon