‘Told my wife to go and hide inside the cupboard’ – Saqlain Mushtaq on a hilarious incident during the 1999 World Cup

Saqlain Mushtaq, one of Pakistan’s greatest spinners, revealed a rib-tickling incident when he had to hide his wife inside a closet. It took place during the 1999 edition of the World Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), from the blues, had asked the wives of the cricketers to go back home in the middle of the tournament. But Saqlain was determined not to follow the instructions.

The tweaker said how he got married in December 1998 and got to spend quality time with his spouse, who used to stay in London. After the veteran got to know about the PCB protocols, he enquired about the same from national head coach Richard Pybus.

But Saqlain was almost caught off-guard when the team management went to rooms of individual players. It was then that Saqlain asked his wife to hide in the closet. However, after few of his teammates suspected something mysterious, he asked his beloved to come out of the cupboard.

They suspected that my wife was in the room: Saqlain Mushtaq

“The manager, coaches used to come and check our rooms. Some players also used to come for a chat. So, one day when I heard a knock on the door, I told my wife to go and hide inside the cupboard. The manager came, had a look and went back. Another official came and went back,” Saqlain was quoted as saying to Raunak Kapoor in the show ‘Beyond The Field’.

“And all this while my wife was inside the cupboard. Then Azhar (Mahmood) and Yusuf came to have a chat with me about the new rules. They suspected that my wife was in the room. After they insisted I gave in. So, I asked my wife to finally come out of the closet,” he stated.

“I managed to get away with it as after we lost the final to Australia, the atmosphere was very heavy, everyone was down,” Saqlain added.

From the cricketing viewpoint, Saqlain had a stupendous campaign in the mega event. He was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, picking 17 wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 4.52. He also churned out a hat-trick against Zimbabwe at the Kennington Oval in London.