Bookmakers in for the Kill: Literally?

Maybe the weirdest story coming out of the world of sport this week is the surfacing of Pakistani cricketer Zulqarnain Haider in London, claiming that bookmakers threatened to kill him and his family. Haider fled Dubai, and the Pakistan team, midway through through their tour to protect himself. The 24-year-old chose to flee to England because the country is very humane, very co-operative, and there are very nice people here and there are very good rules here for personal safety. However, he said he did not intend to claim permanent asylum, saying "I don't want any aid from the British government. I want to be a good citizen and I am a good citizen also in Pakistan. I want to live in peace."

Haider believes the person who threatened him wanted him to help fix the fourth and fifth ODIs against South Africa. He described the conversation but said he did not know the man's identity. Haider said the man said that if he would work with them they would provide a lot of money will give you a lot of money; if not and he went back home, they would kill him and his family. Haider said lots of people are involved in match-fixing and that he would co-operate fully with the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit as he wants cricket to be "clear of fixing". He did not accuse any of the players in the Pakistan team, saying he didn't want to blame or be negative towards anyone. The ACSU has already communicated with Haider over his claims. Haider also stated best way for the ICC to eradicate match fixing from cricket is to record all the players' phones and record where they are going. That would be a very interesting turn of events. (Story courtesy of ESPN CricInfo).