Zulqarnain Haider speaks to PCB chief, plot gets murkier
The Pakistan Cricket Board officials have been able to get through to the Pakistani wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider, who had fled from Dubai to England after he allegedly received death threats from unknown people.
PCB chairman Ejaz Butt was able to talk with Haider on Thursday but conflicting reports have emerged of the nature of the discussion. According to the beleaguered wicket-keeper, Butt had said that the PCB was willing to help him. However, the PCB has said the
only purpose of talking to Haider was to understand what transpired in the lead-up to Haider fleeing to the UK.
The PCB has also appointed a three-member committee, consisting of team manager Intikhab Alam, the security manager Major Najam Javed and PCB member Subhan Ahmed, to try to gauge the events leading up to the incident. They haven’t been able to talk to Haider
so far.
Earlier Haider had confirmed that he had been approached by a man before the start of the fourth ODI against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757, who had asked him to throw the fourth and the fifth game.
However, there have been questions asked of Haider’s decision to escape to UK. The PCB’s legal counsel, Taffazul Rizvi has queried why Haider had left for UK instead of returning back to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 where his family was. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he said,
"In our culture, when are you worried about your family's safety, you run to their side. Whereas he has run to a different country."
According to an Urdu newspaper in Pakistan, Jang, Haider was going to be dropped from the fourth ODI till Umar Akmal got injured and the plan was canned. The question that could now be asked is whether the Akmal-injury had put paid to some of the plans that
were being carried out by those involved in match-fixing or if Haider has used the match-fixing shield to veil some other things.
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