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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Nabbed bookies 'threatened' Zulqarnain

Updated at: 1508 PST,  Wednesday, April 27, 2011
SIALKOT: Police said Wednesday that arrested bookmakers had confessed to being behind death threats to former national wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider.The 25-year-old abandoned the team in Dubai last November and fled to London, saying he had received death threats from bookies who wanted him to fix a match.Haider said he was retiring from international cricket and applied for political asylum in Britain, but returned home on Monday after the government gave assurances about his safety and that of his family."We have arrested eight bookies and some of them have revealed they were behind threats to Haider," police official Nasir Qureshi said from Sialkot."We have confiscated their data which has a number of international contacts and the investigation is still on."Qureshi said an official press conference could be called on Thursday."We have found a number of satellite telephones and diaries which have international contacts and we hope to get further details in the next 24 hours," he added.Haider last week announced that he was prepared to revoke his application for asylum and return to resume his career after meeting Interior Minister Rehman Malik in London.On his return Haider said he had not yet decided on his future."I am happy to return and have got the kind of security promised to me. They have given me superb accommodation," said Haider."There were some reasons when I left the team and went to Britain. I will spend some time with my family and haven't decided on my playing future."On Monday, Malik said Haider had revealed some important details but refused to share them with the media.The Pakistan Cricket Board said Haider had not made contact and only when he does, would a fact-finding committee take up the matter.The committee, formed last year, found no clear motive behind Haider's disappearance but termed him "mentally ill".