LAHORE: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has claimed to turn down lucrative offers from the media to give details of his decision to desert his team in Dubai midway through an ODI series and flee to London after receiving death threats for refusing to fix matches.
The 24-year-old wrote on his Facebook account that the News of the World tabloid had offered him lots of money for an interview but he spoke to them without taking a penny.
“They offered me lots of money but I gave them the interview free of cost but what was surprising was that they said it would be half an hour thing but it went on for one and half hour,” Haider wrote.
“They were trying to ask hard questions but I told them they should talk to the ICC about it,” Haider wrote on his account.
Haider also wrote on his account that electronic media had also offered him big money for giving interviews but he had no intention of taking money and even if he took, he would ask them to give it directly to a charity.
“I don’t want cash or anything in my hands they will pay to charity,” he wrote.
Meanwhile AFP further quoted Haider as saying that he was taking a stand against corruption in cricket and hoped other young professionals would be inspired by his example.
Haider fled the Pakistan team in Dubai to take asylum in Britain after receiving death threats from an alleged match-fixer against him and his family if he did not comply with their orders.
“I need to suggest to all the players, all my team mates and all the world players, they need to make a good stand for good cricket,” the 24-year-old told BBC radio. “We need a good image in the people’s hearts for our cricket.
“I am making this stand so maybe more youngsters will take this stand for our nation, for our Pakistan and for all cricket.
