I received threats in domestic cricket too: Zulqarnain Haider
Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has added more fuel to the fire by saying that this was not the first time that he had received threats. He said that he had been at the receiving end of the threats while playing in the domestic cricket as well.
Haider is currently in the UK after fleeing away from Dubai before the start of the fifth and the final ODI of the series. He had later said that he was threatened by bookmakers to throw the fourth and the fifth ODI or face the consequences. He later claimed
that his family back in Pakistan was not safe and requested for protection.
When asked by Geo, a Pakistani news channel, Haider said that he was threatened to include certain cricketers in the domestic teams that he led. He said, "Yes I have got threats that I should play so and so player, or not play that player.”
There has been heavy media speculation about a game between Lahore and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in the 50-overs competition last year. Haider, who was the captain of the side in the tournament, was given the axe before this game and Ahmed Dar was handed
over the reign. Haider was dismissed for a duck and the Lahore team collapsed to 122 all out.
NBP needed to not only win the game but also have a good net run-rate in order to qualify for the knock-out round of the tournament. In a shocking display of batting, NBP then smashed the requisite runs off just 6.1 overs with Salman Butt scoring a 25-ball
92. Debutant bowler Usman Sarwar went for 78 runs in his three overs and never played a game again. NBP went on to qualify for the semi-finals and then featured in the final as well.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has said that Haider may have played his last game for Pakistan because he had embarrassed the country by acting scared and fleeing to UK and not informing the PCB.