DUBAI: Cricket’s governing body on Tuesday called for more co-operation from international cricketers after Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider fled the team hotel here claiming he had received death threats.
The 24-year-old Haider, who was here with the Pakistan team to play South Africa, Monday fled to London without telling the team management and Anti-corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the threats.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Haider’s case highlighted the importance of sharing corruption information.
Lorgat said Haider made a mistake by not informing the ACSU of the threats. “I don’t think it was wise of him to have done what he did, because it doesn’t solve the problems for him as well and the right thing would have been to speak to the ACSU,” said the ICC chief executive.
Lorgat denied the ICC was only targetting Pakistani players. “ICC is not targetting Pakistani players, that’s not true. We have asked every country on dealing with corruption, but we do recognise that Pakistan had got a greater challenge for whatever reasons and we want to try and understand their problems fully and support them.”
Lorgat denied the ICC had sent any directives to PCB on the selection of Kamran Akmal – under match-fixing suspicions – and Danish Kaneria – cleared from spot-fixing allegations in a county match last year.
“The ICC don’t give directives on who should be selected in the team, what we are clear about is the process they (every member country) need to do to ensure that they are satisfied with the integrity of their players,” added Lorgat.
