‘Missing’ Pakistan player takes off to London

Dubai: The fifth and final One-day match of the Cool & Cool Cup series between Pakistan and South Africa began at the Dubai Sports City International Cricket Stadium with the shock news of Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider going missing from his hotel room.

“We realised that he is not in the hotel room when the team got ready to leave for the stadium. So we had to come to the stadium without him.

We immediately informed the Dubai Police,” remarked Nadeem Sarwar, General Manager Media of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to Gulf News.

Sarwar also confirmed that Haider took his passport from the team manager. Haider was fined Dh 500 on Friday along with Abdur Rehman and Shahzaib Hassan for breaking the curfew.

According to information from Pakistan, Haider has flown out of Dubai to London.

Haider has posted an SMS to his family in Lahore that he is taking the Emirates flight EK 029 to London. Pakistan police has provided full security to Haider’s family in Lahore.

Haider asked for his passport stating that he wanted to purchase a mobile SIM card. It is Haider who guided Pakistan to victory in the fourth One-day match hitting the winning run.