Zulqarnain Haider ( ur, , born 23 April 1986) is a Pakistani former cricketer who has played for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. He had a very short international career and dramatically announced his retirement after a cameo innings of last wicket victory in the fourth ODI of the series against South Africa in 2010. He fled to London fearing threats from bookies. Having played for Pakistan Under-19s, Zulqarnain was called up to the senior national side in 2010 as a cover for the wicket-keeper

Kamran Akmal Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...

during the tour of England. Zulqarnain made his

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

debut during the tour, but a broken finger limited him to just one match. Later, that year he made his

One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...

(ODI) debut against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, against whom he has played all four of his ODIs to date. After the fourth match, Zulqarnain fled to London amid fears for his safety. The right-handed batsman, Zulqarnain, has represented both

Lahore Blues Lahore cricket teams, representing the city of Lahore, competed in Pakistan's first-class cricket tournaments from 1958–59 to 2018–19. They have also competed in the national 50-over and Twenty-20 tournaments as the Lahore Lions. Teams Fr ...

and

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL ( ur, ) is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan.

in Pakistani domestic cricket, and now plays for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd Cricket Team, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd.

Early and personal life

Haider was born in the Pakistani city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. His mother died from cancer in 1998 when he was 12. He decided that he would donate half his match fee from his test debut to the

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre ( ur, , abbreviated as SKMCH&RC/SKMCH) is a cancer centre with locations in Lahore and Peshawar, Pakistan. It is the first project of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, a charitabl ...

. In August 2010, Haider's father, who was suffering from

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

, slipped into a coma.

International career

With regular wicket-keeper

suffering from a prolonged period of poor form in both his roles as wicketkeeper and batsman, Pakistan were searching for a backup. Resultantly, Zulqarnain was drafted into Pakistan's 17-man squad for the tour to the South Africa in January 2007. He made his

Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...

debut on the tour, assuming wicketkeeping duties from Akmal who acted as a specialist batsman. South Africa won by ten wickets, and Zulqarnain contributed just five runs to the Pakistan's total of 129 all out. Zulqarnain had to wait more than three years for his next international match. In July 2010, Pakistan toured England for four Tests, five ODIs, and two T20Is; Haider was included in the touring squad. After a

pair Pair or PAIR or Pairing may refer to: Government and politics * Pair (parliamentary convention), matching of members unable to attend, so as not to change the voting margin * ''Pair'', a member of the Prussian House of Lords * ''Pair'', the Frenc ...

and several missed chances behind the stumps, Akmal was dropped in favour of Zulqarnain. In the first match, Zulqarnain was dismissed on the first ball by fast bowler

Stuart Broad Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile * Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...

, and nearly succumbed to his first ball in the second match. Initially, he was given out to spinner

Graeme Swann Graeme Peter Swann (born 24 March 1979) is an English former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Born in Northampton, he attended Sponne School in Towcester, Northamptonshire. He was primarily a right-arm off-spinner, and also ...

, Zulqarnain then reviewed the decision and was survived. He exploited the opportunity and made 88 runs before getting dismissed, and enthusiastically celebrated his half-century. Days later, it was revealed that Haider had suffered a fractured finger that could have been exacerbated after being hit on the hand by a throw from Stuart Broad. He played no further part in the series. When Pakistan played South Africa in October 2010 for two T20Is and five ODIs, Zulqarnain was included in the 15-man squad as the only wicket-keeper. In the first four ODIs, he took three catches and scored just 48 runs.

Threats and international retirement

On the morning of 8 November, before the fifth ODI against South Africa started, Zulqarnain left the team without permission. Later that day, he arrived in London. Zulqarnain decided to seek asylum in the United Kingdom, a move which was not supported by Pakistan's government which insisted Zulqarnain should have turned to them first. The

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...

(PCB) suspended Haider's contract. On 10 November, Haider announced his retirement from international cricket. He explained that he had been asked to lose the fourth ODI on 4 November and that after hitting the winning runs he had received threats against his life and family. In April 2011, Zulqarnain withdrew his application for asylum and returned to Pakistan after receiving assurances from

Rehman Malik Abdul Rehman Malik NI (Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician and a Federal Investigation Agency officer, having served as the Interior Minister from being appointed on 25 March ...

, Pakistan's interior minister, about his safety. Malik stated that Zulqarnain Haider would be given "full security".

Return to cricket

On 12 May 2011, Haider announced that he was withdrawing his retirement from international cricket. The

PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * ...

set up a disciplinary committee, the result of which was imposing a fine of 500,000 rupees for breaching the team's code of conduct by going to London without permission. According to the PCB Haider "had no proof of any wrongdoing against any player or official of the board, and withdrew all his allegations". He was passed over for selection during Faysal Bank T20, but was included by

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited The Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) ( ur, ), formerly known as Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan, is Pakistani government-owned agricultural development bank which is based in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded in 1961 as the agricultura ...

for the first-class season. He played his first match for the team on 6 October, taking three catches but failing to score a run in his single innings.

References

External links