Pakistani pacer tries to immolate self during match over rejection

Lahore: Fed up with constant selection rejections, a young cricketer in Pakistan tried to immolate himself during a first-class match at a stadium here, accusing selectors of demanding bribe to give him a chance. Ghulam Haider Abbas, a right-arm fast bowler, barged into the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) ground while a match was in progress and tried to pour petrol on himself. Some alert onlookers watching the match of the Quaid-e- Azam Trophy rushed and stopped the budding cricketer and raised an alarm after which some LCCA officials pacified him. Abbas, who belongs to the east zone in the Lahore association, said that he was fed up with false promises by officials that he would get a chance to play in first-class cricket matches for the Lahore team. "I have been performing well at the club and zonal level but they keep on ignoring me because I am from a poor background," the pacer claimed. "At the end, they finally told me that if I want to play for the Lahore team, I should pay them money. Today I came here totally fed up and wanted to end my life," he said. Abbas warned that if his plea is not heard by the Pakistan Cricket Board, then he would set himself on fire at the main entrance of the Gaddafi stadium. "If I die, the east zone officials and the LCCA head should be held responsible for it because they are not selecting players on merit," Abbas added