Pakistani cricket star Haider Ali is arrested by British police over rape allegation
The 24-year-old batsman is accused of carrying out the sexual assault while on tour with Pakistan 's A team against England last month.
Ali allegedly carried out the rape at a 'premises' in Manchester on July 23 - during the middle of the international contest.
He was arrested earlier this week by Greater Manchester Police, with the force saying he has since been bailed as detectives continue with their investigation.
News of his arrest comes after Ali was provisionally suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board over an alleged 'criminal offence'.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police told the Mail: 'After receiving a report on Monday August 4 2025 of a rape, we have arrested a 24-year-old man.
'It's alleged that the incident occurred on Wednesday July 23 2025 at a premises in Manchester.
'The man has since been bailed pending further enquiries. The victim is being supported by officers.'
Ali was reportedly arrested in Beckenham, where Pakistan's A team - otherwise known as the Shaheens - were playing the last of their five games against England.
Ali played in all five games, including the first two on July 22 and July 25 between when the rape is alleged to have taken place.
Yesterday, the Pakistani Cricket Board confirmed the batsman was under criminal investigation in the UK and had been suspended.
The board, however, did not expand on the nature of the crime Ali was being accused of at the time.
In a statement, Pakistan Cricket Board said: 'The PCB has been made aware of a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the Greater Manchester Police involving cricketer Haider Ali.
'The investigation pertains to an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheens' recent tour of England.
'The PCB fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the United Kingdom and acknowledges the importance of allowing the investigation to run its due course.
'Accordingly, the PCB has decided to place Haider Ali under provisional suspension, effective immediately, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
'Once the legal proceedings are concluded and all facts have been duly established, the PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary.'
Born and raised in Punjab, Ali grew up playing tape-ball cricket before featuring in Pakistan's youth teams as a 15-year-old.
Ali made his professional debut for Rawalpindi in 2018 before being recruited into Pakistan's T20 franchise league a year later.
While playing for club team Peshawar Zalmi, Ali became the youngest cricketer to bag a fifty in the Pakistan Super League (Ali is pictured on March 16 during a match with Peshawar Zalmi)
Playing for Peshawar Zalmi, he became the youngest cricketer to bag a fifty in the Pakistan Super League.
His standout performance for the club saw him scoring 239 runs.
He made his international debut during a T20I game in Manchester, where he scored 54 runs off of 33 balls, helping Pakistani to clinch a nail-biting victory by just five runs.
However, despite some strong games, Ali's international performance has been plagued with inconsistency, which has repeatedly found himself in and out of the side.
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