Zulqarnain Haider fled in fear of his life

LONDON: Zulqarnain Haider admitted that he fled to London because the Pakistan wicketkeeper feared he and his family were in severe danger following an alleged match-fixing plot.

Haider held a press conference at a restaurant in Southall in London on Wednesday to reveal more about his controversial decision to quit Pakistan’s one-day series against South Africa in Dubai.

The 24-year-old repeated his claims that he had received death threats after hitting the winning runs in Friday’s fourth one-day match and explained how he had been approached to fix the result of that match and Tuesday’s fifth game.

“It was very hard for me when I got threats from one person in Dubai,” he said. “I just felt very nervous that he gave me threats.”

Haider described the ultimatum he had been given, though insisted he did not know the identity of the person issuing the

Zulqarnain family asks him to return home or join team

Staff Report

KARACHI: The family of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider urged him to return home from London where he fled hours before the fifth and final one-day international against South Africa in Dubai.

“He should return to Pakistan or if he has issues coming back home because of the threats he should at least come back to Dubai and join the team again,” his brother Aqeel Haider said.

“His wife and children are also very concerned about him and believe he should be back at home they don’t want to go to London,” he said.

Haider’s wife Qurutul Ain appeared on Trend Pk with her father-in-law pleading for her husband to return at least to Dubai.

Haider landed in London late Monday night claiming he had got death threats from unidentified persons after refusing to cooperate with them in fixing the one-day series against South Africa in

Kallis predicts good World Cup for South Africa

DUBAI: Veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis says the current South Africa side has “something special” and could end years of disappointment by securing the side’s first ever World Cup title.

The 35-year-old starred with bat and ball, scoring a brilliant 83 and taking 3-30, as South Africa beat Pakistan by 57 runs in Dubai on Monday to win their one-day series 3-2.

Kallis said next year’s tournament, which will be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, could be his last shot at the elusive crown, which South Africa have never won.

“It might be my last World Cup,” he said. “Obviously we haven’t had the success that lot of us would have liked (in the World Cups).

“But I really believe that this team (has) got something special going at the moment and if we just carry on playing the type of cricket that we playing, there is no reason why we

Afridi hints at Test return after England tour

KARACHI: Captain Shahid Afridi hinted at a return to Test cricket on Friday as the team returned from what he called the ‘most difficult’ tour of his career in England.

The tour ended Wednesday with England taking the one-day series 3-2 after an Afridi-led Pakistani fightback had levelled the series. Pakistan also lost the Test series, 3-1.

“The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England,” Afridi told a scrum of reporters outside Karachi airport.

“I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa,” added the explosive all-rounder.

After a four-year break, Afridi came out of Test retirement this summer only to quit after one game when Australia pummelled Pakistan by 150 runs at Lord’s in

ICC urged to take strong lead in ‘fixing’ probe

LONDON: England captain Andrew Strauss called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to leave “no stone unturned” in their probe into cricket corruption after his side ended a scandal-marred season with a one-day series win over Pakistan here on Wednesday.

“This summer has clearly demonstrated when there is a sniff of something in the air it devalues the whole game and nobody wants to play cricket in those circumstances,” Strauss told a news conference after the end of a tour mired in ‘fixing’ allegations.

England thrashed Pakistan by 121 runs in the fifth and final one-dayer at the Rose Bowl for a 3-2 series win after Pakistan had fought back to 2-2 from 2-0 down.

Eoin Morgan, Strauss’s Middlesex team-mate, was named man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 107 in a total of 256 for six.

Pakistan, only briefly in the hunt, were dismissed for 135 with

ICC urged to take strong lead in ‘fixing’ probe

LONDON: England captain Andrew Strauss called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to leave “no stone unturned” in their probe into cricket corruption after his side ended a scandal-marred season with a one-day series win over Pakistan here on Wednesday.

“This summer has clearly demonstrated when there is a sniff of something in the air it devalues the whole game and nobody wants to play cricket in those circumstances,” Strauss told a news conference after the end of a tour mired in ‘fixing’ allegations.

England thrashed Pakistan by 121 runs in the fifth and final one-dayer at the Rose Bowl for a 3-2 series win after Pakistan had fought back to 2-2 from 2-0 down.

Eoin Morgan, Strauss’s Middlesex team-mate, was named man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 107 in a total of 256 for six.

Pakistan, only briefly in the hunt, were dismissed for 135 with

England win fifth ODI against Pakistan by 121 runs

SOUTHAMPTON: Eoin Morgan’s latest match-winning Rose Bowl century saw England to a crushing 121 run-victory against Pakistan as they took the five-match one-day series 3-2 on Wednesday to end a scandal-marred season.

Success meant England had won consecutive Test (3-1), Twenty20 (2-0) and limited overs series against a Pakistan side whose tour was overshadowed by ‘spot-fixing’ allegations.

Man-of-the-match Morgan made 107 not out in a total of 256 for six after England had slumped to 47 for three following captain Andrew Strauss’s decision to bat first.

Former Ireland left-hander Morgan had previously made an unbeaten 103 as England beat Australia by four wickets in the first one-dayer at the Rose Bowl in June.

Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 135 with 13 overs still left, seamer Stuart Broad taking three for 25 and off-spinner Graeme Swann

Pakistani cricketers clear dope tests

Staff Report

LONDON: Skipper Shahid Afridi, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar have cleared dope tests conducted during the ongoing one-day series in England.

The dope test results of the four players, conducted by World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), were found negative.

WADA has informed the team’s management about the test results. SAMAA

ECB to complete Pakistan series

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board does not believe the International Cricket Council’s probe into Friday’s third one day international against Pakistan places the remainder of the NatWest series in jeopardy.

The ICC confirmed it had launched an investigation into the match at The Oval amid claims by The Sun newspaper that overseas bookmakers knew certain details of the Pakistan innings before the match had begun.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat revealed the match, which Pakistan won by 23 runs, featured “a certain scoring pattern” that warranted investigation.

But the ECB insists there is no prospect of the allegations threatening the current one-day series, which England lead 2-1, and an ECB spokesman told Press Association Sport: “[The matter] is in the hands of the ICC as it stands. We see the final two matches going ahead at this

Pakistan trio asked to be withdrawn

TAUNTON: Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and his two opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have withdrawn from the tour of Britain while

investigations into alleged corruption continue.

Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan told reporters in London the trio had asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw them from a seven-match one-day series against England because of the “mental torture” they had undergone.

“They said they are extremely disturbed at what has happened,” Hasan said. “They mentioned that they are entirely innocent.”

Hasan said he believed in the players’ innocence and added Pakistan could take legal action to defend them.

British police confiscated the three players’ mobile phones following allegations of corruption in a British newspaper. They were accused of taking bribes to fix incidents in the fourth

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