Saqlain admits hiding wife in hotel room

Saqlain smuggled his wife into hotel room, hid her in a cupboard the day before the 1999 World Cup final in London.

KARACHI: Former Pakistan spin bowler Saqlain Mushtaq revealed on Wednesday that he smuggled his wife into his hotel room and hid her in a cupboard the day before the 1999 World Cup final in London.

"It was a double trouble for all of us because the management had barred us from keeping our wives with us and on the other hand people accused us of going out with girls, so I breached the code by asking my wife to stay with me," Saqlain told AFP.

"My wife Sana was with me in the room when the management decided to have a check on the players whether they were in the room or not, so I had to lock Sana in the cupboard, but I had to do that otherwise I would have been punished," explained Saqlain.

Saqlain was one of the top off-spinners in his prime and was credited with inventing the "doosra," a delivery which spins the opposite way from normal off-spin.

"At one point of time my wife, because she was with me in the hotel during the World Cup, saved me from a group of women who was alleging that they saw me with another girl, so keeping my wife in the hotel came out to be a blessing," he added.

The off-spinner, who took 208 wickets in 49 Tests had notched up a tally of 288 in one-day cricket, is now involved in preaching Islam.

Saqlain said the current World Cup is open and any of the top six teams can lift the trophy.