Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq today said that wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has made a big mistake by deciding to flee the team hotel and go to London.
“I don’t think he did the right thing. He made a big mistake. If he had any issues he should have told the senior players or the management,” Razzaq told the media on returning from Dubai.
The seasoned player said that Haider was a young and promising player but his absence would not have an impact on the team in the future.
Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal also criticised Haider’s decision to leave the team hotel after claiming he was getting threats from match-fixers.
“I don’t think Zulqarnain deserves the attention he is getting now in the media. What he has done is very wrong and he has brought a bad name to Pakistan cricket,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal added that he was astonished at the way Haider had behaved. “What is he trying to do even if he had something to be worried about or was scared. He could have gone to the team management. And if not them, he could have gone to the ICC headquarters, which is in Dubai itself. The media should completely black him out,” he said.
The former captain said it was a pity that from time to time Pakistan cricket was becoming more known for its controversies and scandals than its performances.
“It is a sad situation and I think the media should also behave responsibly as not every news is true. Zulqarnain should not be given the attention he is getting.”
The former chief executive of the board, Arif Abbasi said he was shocked at the way the team management had allowed the incident to take place.
“To me the most shocking thing is that Zulqarnain didn’t have enough confidence and trust in the management or his seniors to go and share his problems with them.
“They talk about discipline but where is the discipline? How did the manager give away the passport to Zulqarnain in the middle of the series? I blame the manager Intikhab Alam for this mess. He is such an experienced person and he allowed this incident to happen.”
