LAHORE : The Pakistan Cricket Board has made it clear that Pakistan’s runaway wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider would be given a chance to defend his position before the board considers any disciplinary action. Haider deserted the Pakistan team on the morning of the fifth and final ODI against South Africa in UAE and fled to England seeking asylum over death threats from an unknown person.
“The board will decide on how to deal with the Zulqarnain issue on the basis of the findings of the fact-finding committee that has investigated the entire episode. But in any case the player will be given a fair chance to give his side of the story,” PCB’s legal adviser Tafazzuil Rizvi was quoted as saying.
Rizvi said a lot would depend on what information the fact finding committee provides to the board. “We will act on the basis of the committee’s report. In legal terms, there is no doubt that he (Zulqarnain) has committed a breach of his contract by leaving the team hotel without informing anyone,” Rizvi said.
“But even if we decide that there is enough ground to take disciplinary action against him we will not do it before sending him a notice and giving him a chance to respond to us,” he said. “On his failure to reply to PCB’s notice, the board reserves the right to take action against him,” Rizvi added.
The fact finding committee is due to submit its report to the board in two or three days time according to Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam. “Whatever information we have managed to collect on the incident we will give it to the board in two or three days time. We have tried to get maximum information on this episode which was not good for Pakistan cricket,” Alam said.
