Zulqarnain quits international cricket, seeks UK asylum

LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has retired from international cricket and is reportedly seeking political asylum in Britain amid alleged threats from match-fixers.

Haider left the Pakistan team in Dubai on Monday and flew to London after claiming he had been offered money to lose matches against South Africa, the latest twist in the fixing scandals rocking the team.

The 24-year-old Haider would not identify who threatened him or the nature of the threats that prompted him to flee the team hotel in Dubai and travel to England without telling anyone.

“I was approached by one person who asked me to fix the fourth and fifth match and there would be problem for me if I did not do it,” Haider told Pakistan’s Geo Television. “I do not want to say who is involved and who is not involved in the match fixing.”

Haider said he received threats after scoring the winning run in Friday’s one-wicket in the fourth one-day international in Dubai. South Africa won the fifth and decisive ODI on Monday and clinched the series 3-2.

“The country is like a mother and anyone who sells it cannot get anything in life,” Haider said. “I did not want to sell my mother. I did not want to sell my country and I did what I thought was better.”

Following Friday’s match, Haider asked a Pakistan Cricket Board official for his passport, pretending that he needed it to buy a mobile phone connection, and then left the hotel three days later to fly to London.

“I did not do what I was asked to do in the fourth one-dayer and I also did not let it happen what was being asked to do, so this is the reason that I left it and came here and I did what I felt better,” he said.

Haider would not detail the threats, but Pakistan police beefed up security at his house in Lahore “to avoid any untoward incident,” according to senior police official Sahahzada Salim.

“I cannot say what kind of threats I have received as my family is still in Pakistan,” Haider said, adding his reluctance to provide details was in the interests of family safety.

Haider’s older brother, Raza, told The Associated Press that Zulqarnain called him Tuesday to confirm his retirement.

“Just two hours ago my brother called me saying he cannot take any more pressure and is retiring from international cricket,” Raza said.

He added that his younger brother said he could not perform to the best of his abilities under the circumstances and “could not get along with the team.”

“My brother is now in contact with PCB officials and he is going to apprise the PCB officials in writing of what he had gone through,” Raza said.

Haider arrived in London on Monday and, in an interview broadcast by Geo television on Tuesday, said he had discussed his status with immigration officials and “according to their rules, I will have to follow this procedure.”

“I understand there is rule in Britain that if you are on right and if you are not a criminal, then they always protect you,” Haider said.

Raza Haider said his brother was asked by U.K. immigration authorities to appear with a lawyer. He said the family was sending Zulqarnain money he received for playing in Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year.

British Home Office spokesman Simon Barrett said immigration policy did not allow him to comment on individual cases.

Haider is staying at a hotel near Heathrow Airport while his case is being decided, his brother said.

Julie Gibbs, spokeswoman for the London-based Information Center about Asylum and Refugees, said Pakistani citizens seeking asylum in the U.K. were usually dealt with on a “fast-track system.”

“There’s a list of countries where people who ask asylum from those countries they get on a fast-track and are dealt with within seven days,” she said.

Gibbs said it was unlikely Haider would be granted political asylum if he requested it, while emphasizing that each case was different.

“He’s not got a good chance. Pakistan isn’t really an asylum country,” she said.

The alleged threats and match fixing are the latest setback for a Pakistan team that has been troubled by matters off the pitch.

In August, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were accused of involvement in an alleged betting scandal during a test in England.

The ICC charged the trio with corruption in September after allegations they were paid for bowling no-balls at prearranged times against England to fix spot-betting markets.

Pakistan selectors replaced Haider with uncapped 25-year-old Adnan Akmal – brother of test players Umar and Kamran – for the two test matches against South Africa. The first test begins in Dubai from Friday.