The saddest aspect of the Zulqarnain Haider affair is not that a promising young wicketkeeper-batsman has announced his premature retirement from the game. It is not even that Haider felt it necessary to abandon his teammates on the eve of a match because of a death threat, and that his family is currently under armed guard in Lahore.
The most depressing part is actually that the victim has become the culprit. Former player Basit Ali’s tone was typical of a number of notable Pakistanis – ‘this is nothing new for professional players,’ he is reported as saying. ‘Most of us have got threats at some time to do this and that but you just ignore them.'
What kind of a state is Pakistan cricket in, if coping with death threats is all part of the job?
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