Proofs Were Handed Over to ICC's Anti-corruption Unit - - Zulqarnain Haider: Run Away Innings Goes on With All Speculations and Controversies

 

Today Pakistan will take on South Africa in the first test of the series without Zulqarnaina Haider. Adnan Akmal, brother of Kamran and Umer Akmal, will keep the wicket for Pakistan for the first time. This is only the second time in Pakistan cricket history that three of the brothers are awarded by test caps. 

Zulqarnain Haider’s case is going along with all suspicions, speculations and theories; but the open fact is that until now only the Akmal brothers are benefited by the all drama happening out there from Dubai to London.

PCB also seems to change the stance against 24-year-old, Zulqarnain Haider, and assured him to provide "all assistance and co-operation". Yesterday only they (PCB and Haider) had the first direct contact and after the contact PCB decided to go lenient; otherwise PCB has already suspended Zulqarnain Haider’s central contract and stopped his salary of Rs. 50,000 per month.  The decision was clearly taken in rush, just to show the world that PCB is also reacting positively in the matter. But now it seems that PCB is playing on back-foot after the meeting of Zullqarnain Haider and Pakistan High Commissioner, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, in United Kingdom. He was promised any kind of assistance, if required, in this meeting.

According to the news coming up continuously;  Zulqarnain Haider, who has already applied for asylum in the UK, says that he has handed over two letters to the ICC's anti-corruption unit that were given to him in Dubai by unknown third parties looking  to fix last two one-day internationals against South Africa.

Now after the meetings with ICC and Pakistan High Commissioner; Zulqarnain Haider is playing even more confidently and showed his consent not to return back to Pakistan due to his security concerns. "I told [them] I was genuinely concerned about the threats given to me for not getting involved in any racket to fix matches," he said. "When a prime minister like Benazir Bhutto could not be safe in Pakistan, I am just an ordinary cricketer. I am not stupid that I should give up my promising cricket career and leave my country to come to London. I did it for a reason and I feel safe in London," said Haider in his detailed statement. 

He further added that he would co-operate fully with the ICC. "I will not hold anything back from them [ICC]." But yesterday another controversy buzzed around when Tim May, the former Australia Test player who heads the international players' union, claimed that many cricketers are hesitant to report illegal approaches or concerns over corruption to the sport's governing body as they do not trust them.

Tim May told the BBC in an interview that "They [players] fear the confidential nature of them reporting it will be breached. This problem is not an issue that's just confined to Haider. In the past, players have gone to the anti-corruption unit and somewhere details of their talks with the anti-corruption has reached the media. Whether those leaks have come from the ICC or whatever, it still gives the players the question over whether they can trust the ICC's anti-corruption unit. We've said to the ICC we need to get the reporting processes here streamlined far better than what they are at the moment." 

Time is the best judge and now time will bring the truth to the world; but one thing is very much clear that sports world in always full of controversies and conspiracies, generally speaking, especially Cricket and more specifically “Pakistan Cricket”. Meanwhile, it has been further known that the review of Haider's appeal to seek asylum in the UK will take place on December 10.

Let’s wait and see, fingers crossed.