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Pakistan’s morale good despite Haider exit: coach

Pakistan’s morale is good despite the chaos surrounding the team and the sudden departure of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider to England, coach Waqar Younis said on Thursday.

‘Morale is pretty good. What happened in the last four, months five months, it’s not ideal, not what we want, but we are all professional,’ he told a news conference in Dubai the day before the start of a two-test series against South Africa.

‘If we deliver the goods tomorrow we stand a good chance. We’ve got a fairly good side,’ Younis said.

Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday it had suspended Haider’s contract after failing to make contact with him following his departure to England where he is seeking asylum.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it had met the wicketkeeper and would help the PCB investigate the circumstances of his departure from Dubai.

Pakistan captain Misbah ul-Haq said the team were looking forward to playing with new wicketkeeper Adnan Kamal.

‘I think that’s the past now,’ he said when asked about Haider’s departure.

‘We have a new keeper here. He is also good and he has scored good runs in first-class cricket. He is a plus point and I hope he can perform well.’

Zulqarnain, 24, flew to London on Monday and said he was seeking asylum because he feared for his safety after being ordered to co-operate with match-fixers.

Zulqarnain was a member of the Pakistan squad whose tour of England this year degenerated into chaos when test captain Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended following spot-fixing allegations.

The test against South Africa will be the first ever played in Dubai. The second match of the series is in Abu Dhabi.

South Africa beat Pakistan 3-2 in the one-day series in the United Arab Emirates.