Pakistani cricketer Haider Ali, 24, has been cleared of rape allegations in the United Kingdom after investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence to proceed. The case, overseen by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), has officially been closed.
Ali was taken into custody on August 4 at the Spitfire County Cricket Ground in Kent following accusations made by a British-Pakistani woman. She alleged that the two first met at a Manchester hotel on July 23, where the incident supposedly occurred, and again in Ashford on August 1 before she filed her complaint.
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Throughout the inquiry, Ali firmly denied the allegations, describing the woman as a friend and calling the claims “shocking” and “false.”
Authorities later returned Ali’s passport, giving him permission to leave the UK. The investigation was undermined by evidence that the woman had booked the hotel room herself, suggesting the encounter was consensual, as well as by the delay in lodging the complaint.
Ali was represented by UK-based criminal lawyer Barrister Moeen Khan during the proceedings. In line with its player conduct rules, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had suspended him temporarily while the matter was under review.
With the case now dropped, Ali is free to rejoin professional cricket. However, the PCB is expected to carry out an internal review once he returns home.
Ali, who made his international debut in 2020, has featured in 35 T20 internationals and two ODIs for Pakistan, amassing 499 runs in the shorter format. His most recent outing for the national side was at the 2023 Asian Games.
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