The Mystery of Zulqarnain Haider

The dust has not even begun to settle on the spot-fixing scandal that rocked cricket over the summer. The investigation into the three players involved – Salmon Butt, Mohammed Aamir and Mohammed Asif – is still ongoing. However, once again, match fixing and Pakistan are in the news.

On Monday morning, Zulqarnain Haider failed to appear at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the final one-day international match with South Africa. The first indication that something was amiss was a cryptic message left on Zulqarnain’s Facebook page:

“Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game.”

The last game referred to the fourth one-day international last Friday, where Zulqarnain’s unbeaten 19 led Pakistan to a penultimate ball victory with only one wicket remaining.

Shortly after the fifth one-day international began, an official PCB statement stated that “Haider left the team hotel on Monday morning without informing any member of the team or management. He was in possession of his passport and there are indications that he has left for London.”


Further concern was raised later that afternoon when a leading Pakistani television reporter claimed that he had received a text message from Haider requesting that security was provided for his family and that he was considering flying to London. A dozen police officials were deployed at Haider’s house to protect his family from any possible threat.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of Zulquarnain throughout most of today. It was confirmed that he had arrived at Heathrow yesterday, but had gone into hiding in London. Reports were coming out that he had announced his retirement from international cricket under pressure of death threats for refusing to fix matches.

Earlier this afternoon, he met with officials from Scotland Yard and the ICC Anti-Corruption unit at his unidentified hotel in London concerning the allegations of possible match fixing threats. More information emerged after a telephone interview with Geo News:

“I was told to cooperate or I would face lots of problems. This person approached me while I had gone out of the hotel for dinner. He told me cooperate with us and you can make a lot of money. He said if you don’t cooperate, you will no longer be part of the team and we can make life very difficult for you.”

“I received death threats to lose the fourth and fifth one-day internationals against South Africa, but I could not compromise the dignity of my country. I would rather flee away than sell out the dignity and respect of my motherland.”

So, it would appear that he was threatened by match fixers to deliberate throw the last two internationals against South Africa, but refused to do so. Having refused, he feared for his safety and fled to London.

However, it raises further questions. Before the series, the Pakistani team were given strict guidelines on what to do if they were approached by anyone looking for them to fix certain outcomes or matches. They were to report it to either the captain or the Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB).

So why did Zulqarnain feel the need to sneak out of the country without informing any of his teammates or management? Indeed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has its headquarters in Dubai, where Zulquarnain was located. Why did he not go to them directly?

It raises the suspicions that Zulqarnain had serious misgivings about approaching members connected with the team. Given recent events and prior allegations, it must have been difficult for him to know who to trust. Maybe he should have gone to his captain, Shahid Afridi. However, in the back of his mind would have been the memory that his previous captain was Salmon Butt, who was implicated as the ring-leader in a fixing ring over the summer.


He clearly had a lack of faith in the PCB and the team management. Maybe he did not trust members within the PCB? Maybe he felt that they would not have been able to deal with the situation?

In the past, neither the PCB nor the ICC has shown a great desire to tackle the problem head-on. Indeed, it has almost seemed as though they would prefer to brush it under the carpet and move on as though nothing had happened. Maybe he felt that a similar situation would happen?

There is a good chance that nobody that others in the Pakistani team and management were even involved. However, he clearly felt that there was a credible threat, and he took the most risk-averse step, which was trusting nobody.


It may have been in the back of his mind that the English had shown over the summer that they were willing to stand up and investigate the issue of spot fixing. Maybe he felt that approaching them would be his best chance? Or maybe it was simply that his visa from the summer was still valid, so he could enter the country without problems?

There is still a lot of mystery surrounding what exactly happened to cause a promising young cricketer to seemingly throw away his dream and flee to London. However, he is clearly scared enough by the threats to have done so. For a young man to stand up to the gambling rings takes real bravery, and if that turns out to be the case, Zulqarnain Haider deserves great praise. And who knows, maybe he will be able to work with Scotland Yard and the ICC to blow the case wide open.

DW

Makhaya Ntini - A Symbol of Hope

At a press conference on Tuesday, South African fast bowler, Makhaya Ntini announced his retirement from international cricket. He will make his final appearance against India at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on the 9th January in what is sure to be an emotional match. Despite being one of the best fast bowlers in world cricket at his peak, Ntini means so much more to South African cricket than just a top player.


On the 19th March, 1998, Makhaya Ntini became the first black player to represent South Africa in international test cricket. For a country that had only recently emerged from the dark days of apartheid, it was a historic moment. However, the early part of his career was dogged by allegations of rape off-the-field. He protested his innocence repeatedly, and with the help and support of the United Cricket Board (UCB), was found not guilty.

Despite the problems in his early career, he went on to become one of the best fast bowlers in South African history. His 390 wickets in 101 test matches puts him second on the all time list of South Africans, and the 11th highest of all time. He also took 266 wickets in 173 one day internationals. He holds the best bowling figures from a South African in test cricket (13/132 against the West Indies in Trinidad in 2005), the best bowling figures from a South African in one day internationals (6/23 against Australia at Newlands in 2006), and the most 10 wickets hauls in test cricket (a total of 4 that he currently shares with Dale Steyn). He is also the only South African to have recorded a 10 wicket haul at the home of cricket, Lords.

For a generation of young black cricketers, Makhaya Ntini is a trailblazer – the man that made the idea of a black player representing South Africa a reality. However, he has not forgotten his roots. He has announced that he intends to try and give something back to cricket in South Africa.

The ‘Makhaya Ntini Cricket Academy’ has recently been launched in Mdantsane, a township outside East London. It will have some of the best coaching facilities in the country, as well as intentions of hosting coaching clinics from legends from countries such as the West Indies, India and England. It will also have a fully-integrated programme with local schools to provide education for the young players that come to the academy.


He has also said that he is in discussions with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to become involved in their ‘Tomorrow’ campaign and in their cricket development programmes. Ntini was initially discovered through one of these programmes, and as such, they hold a place close to his heart.

His words at an emotional press conference convey his journey of being the first black South African to represent his country. “It has been wonderful for me to represent my country. I have so many great memories, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” His place in South African cricketing history will almost certainly never be forgotten – not only as one of their best ever bowlers, but also as a symbol of hope.

Ian Dorward

Thursday Betting Tips

FOOTBALL

Liverpool v Steaua Bucharest

For Liverpool, the Europa League is a secondary concern to the Premiership. Despite this, they have racked up four victories in the tournament with a weakened side, scoring 7 goals and conceding only 1. Reina will start in front of Agger and Kyrgiakos, with Jay Spearing and Raul Meireles in midfield. This should provide a solid base for the likes of Ryan Babel, Joe Cole and David N’Gog to find the goals to give them the three points.

Steaua Bucharest were poor against a weak Grasshoppers side in the last round, and lost against a Unirea team that is in crisis at the moment. They have a number of injuries, as well as five new players who failed to be registered in time for this competition.

Liverpool will see this as a good chance to get back to winning ways, even with a weakened team. It would be a surprise to see the likes of Torres and Gerrard, particularly with a huge match against Manchester United at the weekend, but they should be strong enough in defence to restrict Steaua.

Bet: Liverpool to keep a clean sheet @ 1.83

Porto v Rapid Vienna

Porto have started the season in excellent form, winning 7 out of 7 competitive fixtures so far, scoring 18 and conceding only 4. They lost Raul Meireles to Liverpool, but brought in Joao Moutinho from rivals Sporting as a replacement. They have only lost 2 games at home since October 2008, against Manchester United and Chelsea, and will fancy themselves to win again here.

Rapid Vienna shocked Aston Villa for the second year running to reach the Group Stages. They looked relatively poor, and it was only a series of defensive errors that helped them. They have lost their best striker, Nenad Jelavic, and are without Heikkinen, Pehlivan, Eder and Vennegoor of Hesselink. They have lost their last two matches in the league.

Porto should win this comfortably, and will look to Hulk to get the goals, having scored 6 in his last 3 games.

Bet: Porto -1.5AH @ 1.87
Bet: Hulk to score first @ 6

Besiktas v CSKA Sofia

Besiktas have been in sparkling form recently, cruising through the qualifying rounds for this tournament, scoring 17 goals and conceding only 1. They have scored 4 goals in each of their last three games in all competitions. Turkey is a notoriously difficult place to go and play, and players such as Ricardo Quaresma, Guti and Nihat, combined with the managerial ability of Bernt Schuster, mean that they will be a hard team to overcome. However, they have a big derby with Fenerbahce at the weekend, so may have one eye on that game.

CSKA Sofia beat Cliftonville and The New Saints to reach this stage. In both ties, they wrapped it up with a 3-0 win in the home leg, but an unconvincing 2-1 win in Cliftonville, and a 2-2 draw with TNS suggests they struggle away from Sofia. They have had an uncertain start to the season, and lie in midtable ahead of this tie.

Besiktas will look for an early goal, and if that comes, they could open up as they have done in recent games. CSKA Sofia have admitted they will look for goals, and this could leave them open at the back.

Bet: Besiktas -1.5AH @ 1.96

Juventus v Lech Poznan

Juventus have started poorly, with a defeat at Bari, and a 3-3 draw at Sampdoria, and pressure is beginning to mount already. They may rest players here in preparation for Udinese at the weekend, being a more important match. They have come through two rounds of qualifying to reach this stage, but have only scored 6 goals in 4 matches against Shamrock Rovers and Sturm Graz.

Lech Poznan will look to keep it tight and maybe try to nick something against the odds. They tend to keep things low-scoring, as we saw in the previous round where there was only a single goal over the two legs against Dnipro. Under Zielinski, they lack creativity, but have all their first choice defenders back and fit again.

In front of only around 8,000 fans, we shouldn’t expect this to be a classic. Juventus should win, but even if they grab one goal, it would be a surprise to see them go all out to win by any more.

Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 2.32

Dinamo Zagreb v Villarreal

Dinamo Zagreb are in good form, being undefeated in 7 games since their shock exit from the Champions League to Moldovan side, Sheriff. They scored twice home and away against Gyor in the last round, and key player Sammir is in excellent form at the moment. They will look to pick up as many points at home, so this means they need to attack and score goals.

Villarreal destroyed Espanyol 4-0 at the weekend to continue their excellent goal-scoring start to the season. They hit seven goals in two ties against Dnepr in the last round, and hit another 4 against Tottenham in a pre-season friendly. The likes of Giuseppe Rossi, Santi Cazorla and Joan Capdevila should start alongside several reserve players for this match.

Villarreal have the quality to win this game, but their squad selection raises questions about their motivation. Dinamo should be encouraged by a strong home support, and will look for an important victory to give them a chance of qualifying.

Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.14

CRICKET

Guyana v Mumbai Indians

Guyana were pretty awful in their opening match against Royal Bangalore, being bowled out for only 103 runs, before going on to lose the match by 9 wickets. The Bangalore bowling attack was impressive, but Guyana have a number of internationals in their upper order, so should be able to play better than they showed.

Mumbai Indians scored an impressive 180, hitting an enormous ten sixes during their innings. They have plenty of big hitters in Kieron Pollard, Saurabh Tiwary, Ambati Ravadu and Harbhajan Singh, and the boundaries should be under constant bombardment. They did also concede 9 sixes during the South Australia innings suggesting their bowling was a little sub-standard, as they allowed the Australians to chase down their mammoth total.

The boundaries in Durban are fairly short, and there were 19 sixes in the last match, and ten in the match before that, despite Central District only making 94. The over 9.5 sixes looks a high line, but it is quite achievable, especially if we see the Mumbai Indians batting first.

Bet: Over 9.5 sixes @ 1.83

Thursday Betting Tips

Karpaty Lviv v Galatasaray

Karpaty have won 5 consecutive home games in all competitions, although their Turkish opponents should prove a more dangerous threat. They would sit 5th in the league, but were deducted 9 points for their part in a match fixing scam.

Galatasaray travel to Ukraine without Harry Kewell, Elano and Sabri Pino. The first two in particular are important players for them. Their season has hardly started in spectacular fashion, losing away to Sivasspor and a home defeat against Bursaspor. Milan Baros is still short of fitness, and there are rumours that a bad result could spell the beginning of the end for Frank Rijkaard at the club.

Galatasaray have some decent players, but the loss of Elano and Kewell will be a major blow for them. Karpaty know that a draw would be enough to send them through, but they showed they can score against the Turkish side, so it would not be a surprise to see them try and grab a goal to secure their position.

Bet: Karpaty DNB @ 2.63

Final Result: Karpaty 1 - 1 Galatasaray (BET VOID)

FC Utrecht v Celtic

Utrecht have started fairly well in the Eredivisie, recording consecutive victories against Breda and Willem II, following an opening day defeat away to Feyernoord. They would have been disappointed with their performance in the first leg in Scotland, but a 2-0 deficit is not insurmountable. They are strong at home, having only lost 4 games from their last 30 in a run stretching back to April 2009. Striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel has been in impressive form, scoring 8 goals in 8 games.

Celtic have had a good start to the season. Since a 3-0 defeat in Braga, they have won 4 straight games, including the return leg against the Portuguese side – a team that went on to win home and away against Sevilla. A 4-0 last time out against St. Mirren will be a good confidence boost.

This will be a close game, but Utrecht have to go out and attack to try and turn around the deficit from the first leg. There is a decent chance that if they are going to score, it will be from 21-year-old Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

Bet: Ricky van Wolfswinkel to score anytime @ 2.75

Final Result: Utrecht 4 - 0 Celtic (van Wolfswinkel x3) (BET WON)

Unirea Urziceni v Hajduk Split

This Unirea side is far removed from the side that impressed in the Champions League last season, beating Rangers and Sevilla, and drawing with Stuttgart. They now have serious financial problems at the club, with the coach and club president having left in recent weeks, as well as a number of key players. In the first leg, they simply looked disinterested losing 4-1. They are yet to record a win in the league this season following up four draws with four defeats. They picked up a draw last time out, scoring their first goal in five league games this season.

Hajduk Split have started well, taking 13 points from a possible 15, scoring 19 goals in the process. Their European campaign looked to be heading for an early conclusion, losing 3-1 to Dinamo Bucharest, but they bounced back to qualify with a 3-0 home win, and have continue in similar form.

Unirea are in major difficult at the moment, and with further players expected to quit the club after this game, it is only set to get worse. Hajduk are unlikely to come here with the intentions of scoring four more – they are already through, but they will not want to lose.

Bet: Hajduk Split DNB @ 2.15

Final Result: Unirea 1 - 1 Hajduk Split (BET VOID)

Aston Villa v Rapid Vienna

After an impressive 3-0 victory over West Ham, Villa came crashing back to earth with a 6-0 defeat to Newcastle. A truly abject performance, caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald seemed incapable of turning it around. However, the players will be looking for redemption here against the team that eliminated them at this stage last year. They drew 1-1 in the first leg with a virtual reserve side, but the likes of Carlos Cuellar, James Collins, Ashley Young, John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor should all return here in a strong Villa side.

Rapid Vienna have won 3 straight games in the league, so confidence should be high. However, the loss of key striker, Nikica Jelavic, in a bitter dispute that culminated in a transfer to Rangers, has weakened their attack, and they know that they have to score in Birmingham, which may leave them open at the back.

After the weekend result, Villa will be looking for a good performance to win over the fans, and the strong line-up suggests this will be the case. The loss of Jelavic is a huge blow for Rapid Vienna, even though he didn’t play in the first leg, he was key to the away goals victory last year.

Bet: Aston Villa -1.25AH @ 2.03 (BET LOST)

Final Result: Aston Villa 2 - 3 Rapid Vienna

Manchester City v FC Timisoara

Manchester City looked very impressive in a 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Monday night, and victory here against their Romanian opponents looks all but a foregone conclusion. They are expected to make 3 or 4 changes for this game, but considering this is likely to be the introduction of the likes of Adebayor, David Silva and Shawn Wright-Phillips, they should be too strong for their opponents.

Timisoara do not have the strongest defensive line, having conceded 3 goals at home to MyPa in the last round. They have won 3 of 8 games this season, but have drawn both their away games in the league so far.

Manchester City will be looking to send another statement of intent in this game, and they have quality both on the pitch and sitting on the bench. They will be too good for their Romanian opponents.

Bet: Manchester City -2.75AH @ 2.5
Bet: Manchester City to keep a clean sheet @ 1.67

Final Result: Manchester City 2 - 0 FC Timisoara (1 BET LOST, 1 BET WON)

Brondby v Sporting

Brondby got their tactics perfect in the first leg in Portugal, and recorded a very impressive 2-0 victory. They have only lost 1 of their 11 games so far this season, and are currently unbeaten in nine. Away from home, they have won 4 straight games, including a 3-1 victory against Nordsjaelland, who Sporting eliminated in the previous round.

Sporting have started the season very slowly. They sold Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho over the summer, bringing in Alberto Zapater, but they are struggling to replace the long-serving midfield duo. They lost their first league match away to Pacos, and needed a last minute winner to beat Maritimo. An unconvincing 3-1 aggregate victory against Danish opposition in the last round hardly helps to breed confidence.

In terms of sheer quality, Sporting are several levels above Brondby. However, they have started slowly, and looked relatively disinterested in the first leg, suggesting this competition is not particularly important to them. They need to attack and score at least two goals, but they have not looked impressive thus far.

Bet: Brondby DNB @ 2.4

Final Result: Brondby 0 - 3 Sporting (BET LOST)

Levski Sofia v AIK

Levski Sofia are a strong team at home. In four home games this season, they have won four, conceding 3 goals, but scoring an impressive 17. This includes a 5-2 victory against Swedish side Kalmar in the previous round. They played a conservative game in the first leg, drawing 0-0, but they should open up back in Bulgaria.

AIK are in all kinds of problems, being involved in a relegation battle in Sweden. Their major problem is scoring goals, having only scored 16 in 20 games this season, and having only scored 3 goals in their past 9 games. Away from home, they haven’t scored a goal in 8 games.

Levski dispatched fellow Swedish side Kalmar in the previous round, and should be favourites to do the same here. They will be aware of the risks of conceding an away goal, so should keep it tight at the back, whilst having the quality to score goals themselves.

Bet: Levski Sofia to win to nil @ 2.1

Final Result: Levski Sofia 2 - 1 AIK (BET LOST)

Trabzonspor v Liverpool

Trabzonspor have started the season well, winning the Turkish Super Cup 3-0 against champions Bursaspor, and following that up with league wins against Ankaragucu and Fenerbahce. A 1-0 defeat in Liverpool was a decent result, and gives them hope of progressing to the group stages. They have also been promised £20k each for qualification to provide added motivation.

Liverpool have travelled to Turkey without Gerrard, Torres, Agger, Maxi Rodriguez, Javier Mascherano and Milan Jovanovic. Their defence looks relatively solid with the likes of Reina, Carragher, Johnson and Skrtel all playing, but they seem to lack a creative and offensive threat.

Trabzonspor have an excellent opportunity to get a result here, and give themselves a chance of pulling off the shock and eliminating their illustrious rivals. Liverpool appear not to be taking this competition particularly seriously.

Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.69

Final Result: Trabzonspor 1 - 2 Liverpool (BET LOST)

Lokomotiv Moskva v Lausanne

Lokomotiv Moskva have been in poor form recently, having not won in 6 games since mid-July, including games against both the bottom 2. They lost the Moscow derby 3-0 to Dinamo Moskva at the weekend in a truly abysmal performance. A 1-1 draw in Switzerland has given them a decent chance of qualification after Sychev equalised Traore’s first half goal.

Lausanne are a second division side that qualified for this competition after a dream cup run last season, although it ended in a 6-0 final defeat to Basel. They are unbeaten in all competitions this season, with maximum points from their 5 league games, and draws away in Bosnia and Denmark so far in this tournament.

Lausanne have nothing to lose against a superior, but low confidence, opponent. They are unlikely to have played in games like this before, and may not again in the future, so they will give everything. Lokomotiv have been poor recently, but they know a 0-0 will take them through, so will look to keep things tight.

Bet: Lausanne +1.25AH @ 2.3

Final Result: Lokomotiv Moskva 1 - 1 Lausanne (BET WON)

Gent v Feyernoord

Gent were unlucky to lose the first leg 1-0 in Rotterdam. They were outclassed against Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League, but have overcome an unconvincing start to the season to sit fifth, with 9 points from 12. Gent rested a number of players in their last league game in preparation for this match and will be playing in front of a sell-out crowd tonight.

Feyernoord are a young, inexperienced side, and have been disappointing so far this season. Defeat against Excelsior in the derby and a draw with Heracles is hardly the form to worry their Belgian opponents. Vlaar and Wijnaldum are the only two quality players in this Dutch side, who will struggle to finish high in the league this season.

Feyernoord have been poor this season, and will have to play well to avoid defeat here. Gent are a decent side, but are prone to the odd collapse under pressure, which they will be hoping to avoid tonight.

Bet: Gent to win @ 2.28

Final Result: Gent 2 - 0 Feyernoord (BET WON)


England v Pakistan

England's batting has hardly been outstanding in this series so far, and in cloudy and damp conditions at Lords, there will be plenty on offer for bowlers. As a result, it is conceivable that England could only post a score of around 250 in their first innings. With the return of Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan have a more solid batting line-up and should get a decent enough total.

James Anderson was the standout bowler in the first test, and has continued to pick up wickets in this series. He will not be easy to face in the conditions, and is the most reliable of the English bowlers to pick up wickets.

Matt Prior has been in good form with the bat this series, hitting a century at Trent Bridge, and an impressive innings last test that helped England to recover to a decent first innings score. He enjoys playing at Lords, and few of the other specialist batsmen are in good form.

Bet: Pakistan +80.5 runs 1st innings lead @ 1.91
Bet: James Anderson top England bowler @ 3
Bet: E/W Matt Prior top England batsman @ 11 (1/5 1,2,3)
Bet: Mohammad Yousuf (+3.5 runs) to beat Kevin Pietersen @ 1.83 (BET WON)