Zulqarnain Haider speaks to PakPassion.net about resurrection of his career, his views on the dramatic events in Dubai in 2010 and his aspirations for the future.

By Amir Husain (22nd December, 2011)

On the morning of 8th November, 2010 – just hours before the fifth and final One Day International between Pakistan and South Africa in Dubai, the Pakistani wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider walked out of the team hotel, and walked into a hail of accusations and counter accusations regarding corruption in the game of Cricket.

What followed in the ensuing days, weeks and months left many keen followers of the game bitterly divided over the exact motives behind Haider's decision. Given that Haider's dramatic actions came just a few months after the unsavoury events of the English Summer where three Pakistani players were accused (and later convicted) of spot fixing, the image of Pakistani cricket and its cricketers came under renewed and unwelcome scrutiny.

For his part, Zulqarnain maintained his stance that he left the Pakistan team in the UAE after receiving threats from illegal bookmakers on his and family’s life and his only motive was to highlight these issues. His stay in England, which was the cause of a certain amount of discomfort for the Pakistan Cricket Board, did not last that long and he returned to Pakistan where he faced a PCB disciplinary hearing in which he was fined and reprimanded for making false accusations.

His rehabilitation into Pakistani cricket received a boost in May 2011 when he decided to withdraw his earlier decision to retire from all forms of cricket. He has since joined the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) team which has performed exceptionally well in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam (QEA) Trophy Division 1 and is now featuring in the ongoing final of this tournament.

Haider's re-entry into Pakistani cricket has been nothing short of phenomenal. He is now rated as the top performing wicket keeper in the Quaid E Azam Trophy and in an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Zulqarnain was all praise for his team mates at ZTBL who have accepted him with open arms and made his rehabilitation a little easier:

“Initially, I felt a little awkward after being away from the game for so long and also as I was recovering from the pain of losing my father, but the lads have helped me settle in well. In addition, my physical fitness was an issue even though I had kept myself fit to a certain extent while staying in London but with a few domestic games under my belt, I felt better again. This also had a positive effect on my performance.”

Any discussion on Zulqarnain Haider's career will inevitably touch upon the dramatic events in Dubai last year. Haider continues to look back at his conduct in the UAE and then in England with pride but realises that he could have handled it better: “I still stand by my decision to leave the team in UAE - this was done for the betterment of Pakistani cricket. All I will say is that after my actions and other things that have happened in terms of accusations and punishments for spot-fixing etc, Pakistan has won 28 out of 30 games – so this is an achievement that Pakistani cricket is on the right track and if I get a chance I will also help Pakistan stay on that track."

"In retrospect, I should have spoken to the ICC and this is what I will do should a situation similar to the one in Dubai arise again. Pakistani cricket is getting better due to the strict security policies of Mr. Zaka Ashraf and hopefully these problems [corruption] will be reduced or disappear completely.”

With the tumultuous events of last year behind him and the current performances in the QEA Trophy as his current achievement, Haider is obviously looking forward to a renewal of his International career:

“I am the best domestic wicket keeper at the moment, I am hoping that the new Chairman of PCB Mr. Zaka Ashraf will take note of my performances in domestic cricket. I am aware that the Board and selectors have their eyes on the best performers so I am hoping that they will pay attention to my performance this season as well.”

The consummate team man to the core, Haider is on a mission to work with his current team ZTBL to take them to the pinnacle of the domestic season. He is supremely confident about ZTBL's chances against the much fancied PIA team but knows that victories aren’t attained by name alone: “In Cricket – anything can happen – whoever plays well will win – ZTBL or PIA – whoever does well over the 5 days will win.”