Cricket was plunged into fresh turmoil today as a leading Pakistan player fled his team's hotel in Dubai and flew to London, claiming he had received death threats after scoring the winning runs in a one-day international. Wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider posted a message on his Facebook page saying that he was "leaving Pakistan cricket" because he had received a "bad message from one man to lose the last game".
He also phoned his brother and a television journalist in Pakistan, alleging he received a threat after Friday's close-fought match against South Africa. Haider arrived at Heathrow airport as his teammates played their deciding one-day match against South Africa back in Dubai, which Pakistan lost.
The drama comes on the heels of last August's corruption scandal when three Pakistani players became embroiled in match-fixing allegations triggered by a newspaper investigation. Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Amir and the captain Salman Butt are under suspension after being accused of accepting money via a middleman to bowl no-balls at specific points during the fourth Test against England at Lord's in the summer.
Last week Scotland Yard investigators sent a dossier of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible prosecution, with the ICC expected to hold a disciplinary tribunal next year.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced an immediate inquiry following Haider's flight. Officials said they had no inkling of his departure. "The information shared with the PCB by local authorities indicates that Mr Haider has left the UAE for the United Kingdom," the PCB said in a statement. "The PCB continues to monitor this situation and is in regular contact with concerned authorities in this regard."
In Lahore Haider's brother, Raza, said he did not specify the nature of the threat. "He just seemed to be upset, as if he had some sort of pressure on him," he told a press conference at the family home, which was last night under police guard. The first sign of possible trouble in the Pakistani camp came on Saturday night when Haider and two other players were fined 500 dirhams (£84) each for breaking the team curfew.
Sources said Haider returned to his room less than 15 minutes late, but the fine was imposed as a sign of discipline. Last night Haider retrieved his passport from team management, saying he needed it to buy a mobile phone SIM card. This morning he texted a journalist with Geo, Pakistan's largest network, saying he had received threats and asking for protection for his family.
He simultaneously posted a message on his Facebook page that read: "leaving pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game". By evening local police had posted 10 officers to guard the family home in Lahore. "It's just a precaution," senior officer Faisal Rana told the Guardian. "The threat is against Zulqarnain in Dubai, not the family here. We're still analysing the complaint. Maybe it's a rumour, maybe it's something else; I can't say at this point."
The PCB said Haider had not informed them or the ICC's anti-corruption unit of any threats. A PCB statement said he retrieved his passport for "personal use" on Saturday.
Pakistani officials denied that the drama marked the start of another national cricket scandal. "It's too early to involve all of Pakistani cricket," said Tafazzul Rizvi, legal adviser to the team. "This is just the act of one individual, and it's not a sensible act. Even he had threats against him, he should have informed the team security officer."
Rizvi said he had personally briefed the team before it left for Dubai on the procedures to follow in the event of any match-fixing or corruption suspicions. "I told them 'the time to come forward is now'. And nobody came forward," he said. Haider's other brother, Aqeel Haider, told Geo that he had not had any contact with the player and was "praying for him."
"I spoke to him last night, but he did not say anything about threats," he said. "I have not received any SMS or telephone call from him. He has not contacted with any of the family member as yet. We tried to contact him in the hotel too, but didn't succeed."
Born into a middle-class Lahore family, Haider made his international debut for Pakistan against South Africa in 2007. He was subsequently sidelined until this year. He is one of the more media savvy players on the Pakistani side, and has assiduously cultivated contacts with Pakistan and British journalists, often through Facebook. During last August's spot fixing allegations, he updated his status to say there was "one piece of good news – Zulqarnain made it to 68 in the ICC batting rankings", according to Karachi-based journalist Osman Samiuddin, of cricinfo.com. "He's very much in the public eye, and is not shy of putting himself up on Facebook to stay there."
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