Zulqarnain claim forces PCB to halt team announcement

[sonicboom]

Zulqarnain claim forces PCB to halt team announcement


November 28th, 2010 by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan


KARACHI: Former Pakistan wicket keeper, Zulqarnain Haider, claimed on Sunday to have knowledge of the match-fixers in the team after which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stopped the team announcement for the New Zealand tour.

The Sports Encounter scribe has learnt that the courageous Zulqarnain Haider, also known as Zoly, has claimed on his facebook page that he has knowledge about the players who have made big money by selling Pakistan’s matches and said he would reveal their names in five days.

“Kis nay kitnay paisay liye, Sab raaz 5 din main faash kar dun ga”, Zoly claimed on his facebook page here Sunday.

After the latest claims by the wicket keeper-batsman, the Pakistan Cricket Board, which was due to announce squad for the New Zealand tour in two days time, has postponed the announcement and contacted Zulqarnain Haider.

Sources in the PCB told TSE that the cricket board has postponed the team announcement in a bid to avoid international criticism if any of the selected players are found in the list to be announced by Zulqarnain Haider.

Sources further stated that following his latest claim, the PCB authorities are trying to contact Zoly to get the names of these match-fixers so that a proper inquiry is made into their wrongdoings. However, Zoly didn’t give in to the pressure of the PCB till latest updates.

Interestingly, the PCB authorities are also offering Zoly to select him back in the national squad and pledged no action against him in case he reveals names of these players to the cricket board.

Sources said that the PCB authorities have stopped implementation on the report against Zulqarnain Haider due to which the wicket keeper could have been banned for lifetime.

The match fixing and spot fixing scandal has jolted Pakistan cricket tremendously since late August when an British tabloid, “News of the World”, claimed Pakistan players including the then test skipper Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir were paid during the Lord’s Test, the fourth test match, for bowling NO-BALLS at pre-determined occasions during the match.

After investigation by the Scotland Yard and inaction by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended the trio involved in the scandal and kept the ban in its October 30-31 hearing in Dubai where Mohammad Asif decided not to fight his case. Another ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal, led by Michael Beloff, will hear the suspensions in January.

It is important to mention here that the PCB chief had extended his all-out support to the three Pakistani cricketers but backed out when the trio needed him the most. Moreover, the PCB has also not paid the outstanding dues of these three cricketers, which has put a question mark on the cricket board’s loyalty with the players.

In the light of the past track record of the PCB chief, Zulqarnain Haider would think thousand times before believing the word of Mr. Ijaz Butt especially when the match fixing mafia is after his life and gave him life threats during Pakistan’s series against South Africa which recently ended at United Arab Emirates.

Zulqarnain Haider found it the right choice to leave the team and secure his life by travelling to United Kingdom where he is now consolidating his position and making sure his security before opening his mouth against the strong match fixing mafia.

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