Zulqarnain Haider (cricketer)

Zulqarnain Haider

Personal information
Full name	Zulqarnain Siddiqi Haider
Nickname	Zulqi
Batting	Right-hand bat
Role	Wicketkeeper-Batsman
International information
National side	Pakistan
Test debut (cap 201)	6 August 2010 v England
Last Test	6 August 2010 v England
T20I debut	3 Ferbruary 2007 v South Africa
Career statistics
Competition Tests LA FC T20I Matches 1 61 71 3 Runs scored 88 628 3166 23 Batting average 44.00 15.70 34.79 7.33 100s/50s 0/1 0/2 3/18 0/0 Top score 88 90 161 17 Catches/stumpings 3/0 70/17 215/8 0/1
Source: Cricinfo, 8 August 2010

Zulqarnain Haider (Template:Lang-ur, born 23 April 1986 in Karachi) is a former Pakistan under 19 wicketkeeper and second-choice wicket-keeper for the Pakistan national cricket team. He is generally regarded as being the reserve keeper to Kamran Akmal. The right-hander represents both Lahore Blues and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited in Pakistani domestic cricket.

Haider made his debut for Pakistan in a Twenty20 match against South Africa in 2007 he scored 5 runs as Pakistan succumbed to a heavy defeat. After this match Kamran Akmal recovered and took back the gloves. Akmal was dumped in the 2008 Asia Cup but his place was given to another wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed after the tournament Akmal regained his form and was reselected. Kamran Akmal then performed poorly on the tour of Australia in January 2010 including the fact that Pakistan lost the match only due to Akmal's poor keeping. He dropped three-catches and missed an easy run-out of Mike Hussey. For the third test the reserve keeper Sarfraz Ahmed was used as Haider wasn't selected for the tour. Akmal then participated on the tour of England in the first test he dropped a total of seventeen catches. He was dumped for the second test and Zulqarnain Haider returned to the Pakistan side three-years after he played his first match of the team.

Early and personal life

Haider was born in a family of modest means in the Pakistani city of Lahore. From his birth, he focused on cricket and being a wicket-keeper. Haider's mom passed away in 1998 when he was just 12. Haider since then has donated money to Imran Khan's hospital

"My mother (may she rest in peace) passed away 12 years ago after suffering from cancer. When she sadly passed away I made a vow to myself that when I made my test debut I would donate half my match fee to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. My family and I felt so helpless at her time of illness and vowed that we would do our utmost to ensure that others would not suffer in the same way in Pakistan in future. I made the vow and will stick by it and ensure that the funds are sent to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital right away."

By the time he made his Test debut in 2010, his father Syed Raza Haider, all of a sudden fell ill to hepatitis C. Haider's father could not find out about the news of his son's performance on debut. However Pakistani captain, Salman Butt told the media that his condition was improving and that it was a big accomplishment for Haider to bat and handle the pressure while he knew his father was in hospital.

He donated his match-fees earned for that match to Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre

International debut

He made his debut in Twenty20 International in place of the injured Kamran Akmal he scored 5 runs and took two vital catches as Wicket-Keeper. However due to the fact that Akmal was performing consistently Haider didn't get a chance to perform also Sarfraz Ahmed had made a claim as Pakistan's reserve keeper three years later He made his Test cricket debut in the second Test against England on 6 August 2010 (his first match for Pakistan since 2007) and scored a first ball duck with the bat in the first innings. However, he had a much better game in comparison with the gloves, bagging three catches. In the second innings, he batted extremely well scoring his maiden Test fifty, thus rescuing the team from an innings defeat. He eventually made 88 off 200 balls. He was given out leg before wicket first ball in the second innings but requested a video referral, which showed that the umpire's decision was incorrect, and he was allowed to continue batting. Many analysts also applauded him for showing a game of patience and said that the mental game of Test cricket on that day had been won by Pakistan as one example was when Stuart Broad for no apparent reason threw a ball at Haider. He donated half of his match fees to a cancer hospital in Pakistan and dedicated his performance to his mother who died of cancer. Haider suffered a hair-line fracture shortly after the Test match; to his little finger and was sent for an examination to determine if he could play in the third test He was then diagnosed with a hair-line fracture to his finger and was ruled out for the third test and didn't participate in the remainder of the series. The injury he got when he was training with the team in July just before the second test against Australia and it was aggravated when Stuart Broad hurled a ball at him.

Pakistan v South Africa tour in Dubai (2010)

Haider next got his chance to play for Pakistan in October 2010 against South Africa when Kamran Akmal was out because of appendectomy Although Akmal would have been fit enough to play in the test series the selectors decided to select Haider ahead of Akmal to build on his 88 that he scored in the innings against England. He participated in the first match and was very tidy with the gloves. In the second match he served his job as a No. 7 batsman and came out and supported Misbah-ul-Haq and continuously rotated the strike with him. He was eventually bowled by Rusty Theron on the final delivery of the innings. Haider collected his maiden international stumping in that match when Graeme Smith was beaten by an Ajmal off-break and Haider removed the bails.

He made his ODI debut against South Africa on the same tour he scored 12* batting at No.8 Pakistan lost 9 wickets for 63 runs after an excellent start by Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq and Younus Khan Haider was the batsman who finished unbeaten. In the second match he took his maiden international stumping when AB de Villiers was removed of a Shahid Afridi googly. His lower-order batting continued to help Pakistan when he hit the winning runs in a thrilling one-wicket victory against South Africa when he pulled past backward point.

Threats and retirement

Haider left the team in Dubai after receiving threatening messages against himself and his family from an unknown source. He phoned his brother and a television journalist in Pakistan, alleging he received a threat after the close-fought 4th ODI match against South Africa. The PCB said a "full inquiry" will be held into the "circumstances surrounding this incident" and "no further comments will be made until the facts are known." The ICC said it was aware of Haider's disappearance. It later emerged that Zulqarnain had left for the UK. This was confirmed when he landed at Heathrow Airport. The PCB confirmed that Haider was breaching his central contract.

Haider's older brother Aqeel, who lives in Lahore, said the wicketkeeper had received messages on his mobile phone threatening to kill him and target his family after the 4th one-dayer against South Africa. Haider's brother says the PCB knew of the threats and accused it of doing nothing about them. He has demanded a government inquiry into the matter.

On Tuesday 9 November 2010 Haider announced his retirement from international cricket. Haider stated that he did not want to cause harm and subsequently decided to retire from International cricket. He also plans to seek refuge in the UK Haider outlined his encounter with the person who approached him, without giving too much detail. "When I went out of the hotel to eat dinner once, he came up. He was alone but I felt there were two to three people behind him. I can describe him. He spoke Urdu but I cannot describe the accent accurately. He said you will make lots of money if you join us and help us. If not, then staying in the team could be difficult and we can make things difficult for you. I don't know why I was approached and others weren't."

He also said "The fourth ODI, the things I was told to do I didn't, and the fifth ODI, what they wanted done I didn't do.""That is why I did what seemed right to me and I came here(UK). I can't tell what kind of threats I received to the country because my family is still in Pakistan." Haider announced that he was prepared to return to the Pakistan cricket team provided that the Pakistan authorities give security to his family and that the Pakistan Cricket Board guarantee that he is provided security. He stated that he went out for dinner and subsequently was contacted and threatened by a bookie

External links

• Cricinfo profile