Its not cricket

[jaydah]

Their loss our gain. A sad tale when a young talented man is so threatened for his sport.


http://news.sky.com/s...mp;lpos=searchresults

[New Judge]

Sad indeed, jaydah.

But why did he immediately make for the UK? Is this the only safe haven between Dubai and here?

[jno]

the only cricket-playing one, NJ? Presumably he'd like the opportunity to keep making his own living, which is hardly a bad thing. It may also be that British authorities already have some knowledge of Pakistan cricket thanks to the bribery allegations going around in the summer.

[rov1200]

As he was involved in the cricket fixing scandal do we accept a criminal allegedly to claim asylum?

[jno]

what vibra says. That game sounds like one of the great fixes of all time. Haider's only 'involvement' seems to have been that he refused to get involved.

[New Judge]

I think if I'd been in fear of my life as much as he was supposed to be I might be inclined to have things other than whether I could continue to play cricket on my mind when choosing a safe haven.

Of course if that was really his concern he may have been better off heading for the Carribean, Australia or South Africa since there will be no meaningful cricket played here for the next six months.

[jno]

other possible answers, NJ: the nearest place he'd been to before.

The destination of the first plane that was leaving. Or the cheapest flight.

You're very determined to impute bad faith to someone you don't know.

[modeller]

All he had to do was to resign from the team and he would no longer be threatened.
He could then have stayed in Pakistan, there was no need to come here unless he hopes to be picked for the English team . It smells . There is more to this story than he makes out.

[New Judge]

Yes, all perfectly plausible, jno.

I’m not trying to blacken his character. I’m just intrigued why he headed for the UK when there were other more suitable places for him to continue in his line of business. He has (he says) no intention of settling in the UK permanently but if that is so I cannot imagine why a cricketer would come here in November.

Interestingly he has provided no details of the people who allegedly threatened him and has not even had the courtesy to tell the Pakistani cricket authorities any details of his allegations.

[jno]

just my own suspicion, New Judge, but I regard the Pakistan cricket authorities as very likely complicit in the corruption. I believe they investigated the match to which vibra refers - and found nothing wrong with it at all. Given the batting/bowling figures, I'd regard that as quite surprising, and I'd be wanting to distance myself from them as far as possible. I'm not sure what other suitable places you have in mind, but there aren't that many crickting nations and I doubt in his position he'd have regarded himself as safe anywhere on the subcontinent.

I see no reason why he should name names in public, but he has offered to co-operate with the cricket anti-corruption body.

[jake-the-peg]

Why is he claiming "political asylum" ?

Are the match fixers politicians?