Zulqarnain threatens legal action against PCB for ‘assassinating his character’

ISLAMABAD - Runaway Pakistani wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who stunned one and all by fleeing the team hotel in Dubai hours before the final one-day international against South Africa last month, has threatened to take legal action against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for allegedly indulging in his “character assassination.”

A fact-finding committee set up by the PCB to look into his flight to the UK from Dubai failed to find any clear motives behind his actions.

Excerpts from the committee’s report revealed that Zulqarnain’s claim that he got death threats from a person, who wanted him to fix matches, were disputed, and the player was dubbed as “weak and nervous”, the Daily Times reports.

The now retired wicketkeeper said in a message on his Facebook page that he was contemplating sending a legal notice to the PCB.

“By declaring me a weak and nervous person and questioning my state of mind the fact finding committee has indulged in my character assassination and I reserve the right to take legal action against the board,” Zulqarnain wrote on the social networking site.

“I also want a copy of the report of the committee,” he demanded.

The fact finding committee, which included Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam and the PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed, had found ‘ambiguity’ in the various statements Zulqarnain had made over the past few weeks.

The report also claimed that some of the support staff of the national team felt that Zulqarnain was a case of complex personality, and someone who could be easily convinced into believing whatever was said to him.

But Zulqarnain refuted the report’s findings, stating that some people were trying to declare him a mental case in order to save themselves.

“Are people like Rashid Latif, Sarfaraz Nawaz or Iqbal Muhammad Ali (all of whom spoke in his favour) also mentally weak people,” he questioned.

“I am now consulting with my lawyers in the United Kingdom about sending a legal notice to the board for this one-sided report,” he added. (ANI)