Do you remember Zulqarnain Haider? He is a former Pakistani stumper, now 30, who quit cricket all of a sudden in 2010 and sought asylum in England. There were reports that his life was at stake after receiving death threats to fix a match. According to a report in The Express Tribune, the former cricketer is back doing what he loves i.e. playing cricket. The paper reports that Haider has participated in a 10 Premier League tennis ball tournament in USA. Speaking to PTI, Haider pointed out, “Tennis ball cricket can also be a career option. One of my friends was a part of the organising committee so I played in the tournament.”
The former wicket-keeper returned to Pakistan after failing to get asylum in UK and worked for a bank. “The bank job has helped me,” he said. “However, I recently went to the United States and played a few tournaments in Chicago, California and Washington. Two were T20 tournaments. So I am earning some money apart from the salary.”
Looking back, Haider says he has moved on. “I have always maintained that I had specific issues with a few players,” he said. “But those with whom I had problems with are no longer playing for the national team,” he elaborated. And he still harbours hope of making a comeback to the Pakistan team. “I can still come back to the national side as a second wicket-keeper-batsman. I know Sarfraz (Ahmed) is doing a good job with both bat and glove, but I can still be the second choice,” he said.
You never know what life has in store for you. For Haider, it may be a bit too late to make a comeback into the Pakistan team, but there are surprises and if he at all does, it would be a memorable one for him as well as the game of cricket.