Haider received threats from fixers in past: report

Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider received threats from match-fixers after he refused to abide by their instructions during a domestic game last year, according to a report in London.

A report in the Guardian newspaper claimed that Haider had received threats from fixers during a limited overs match between the Lahore Eagles and the National Bank in the RBS Cup in March 2009.

Haider was captain of the Lahore Eagles for three months last year and during that time he was instructed by bookmakers to play a certain player.

The Lahore Eagles later sacked Haider as captain on the eve of the game, apparently because he refused to pick particular players for the match. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper specifically objected to the inclusion of a right-arm pacer called Usman Sarwar, who had never played for the team before, the report added.

Tainted former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, who is currently under investigation for match-fixing during the Lord's Test, was a member of the National Bank team along with Wahab Riaz, who has also been questioned by British investigators, and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

Incidentally, the Pakistan Cricket Board lodged an investigation into the match but later gave it a clean chit, saying that they found no evidence of foul play.