Pakistan's Haider Ali cleared as UK police close rape case

LONDON: Pakistani cricketer Haider Ali has been exonerated in an alleged rape case after Greater Manchester Police found insufficient evidence to proceed, allowing the batter to reclaim his passport and resume international travel.

Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) sources confirmed to Geo News exclusively that the case against Ali has been closed due to insufficient evidence to support the allegations.

Ali was represented by criminal law expert Barrister Moeen Khan.

The batter had been under investigation after a British-Pakistani woman accused him of raping her at a Manchester hotel. Police received the report on August 4 and arrested the 24-year-old cricketer the same day.

The woman told police she first met Ali on July 23, 2025, at a Manchester hotel where the alleged incident took place. She said they met again on August 1 in Ashford, about four hours by train from Manchester.

She filed her complaint four days later — around two weeks after the first meeting.

Police sources told Geo News that Ali is now free to leave the country. He has already collected his passport from the police station and can travel from the UK at any time of his choosing.

During his police interview, Ali denied the rape allegation. He told investigators that he knew the woman well and that they were friends, adding that the accusation came as a shock to him.

Ali was arrested at the Spitfire County Cricket Ground in Kent, from the players’ canteen, and taken to Canterbury Police Station by Kent Police officers.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said Ali was provisionally suspended for the duration of the criminal investigation.

Ali has represented Pakistan in 35 T20 internationals since making his debut in 2020, as well as two one-day internationals.