Cricketer Haris Sohail Spooked by Hotel Ghost

Pakistan all-rounder Haris Sohail was left “visibly shaken” and unable to train after an apparent ghostly encounter in a New Zealand hotel room.

Sohail, 26, says “a supernatural presence” woke him up by shaking his bed, forcing him to seek refuge in the room of a team coach. The incident allegedly took place at Rydges Latimer in Christchurch
Pakistan is in New Zealand for two warm-up matches and two one-day internationals ahead of the World Cup.

Team manager Naveed Akram Cheeva said Sohail phoned a member of the coaching staff to say he had been woken by his bed being shaken. The coach rushed to his room, where he found the batsman and spinner “shaken and feverish”.

Cheeva said team management tried to persuade Sohail the fever may have caused a nightmare, but the player was adamant his experience was “supernatural”.

Sohail, who has played nine one-day internationals, was examined by the team doctor after his encounter and found to be in good health.

Pakistan media reported that Sohail was left so traumatized by his experience he was unable to train and was forced to miss a one-day warm-up match against a New Zealand President’s XI on Sunday.

He took the field in a second warm-up game in Christchurch on Tuesday and made six runs from 25 balls. Meanwhile, management at Rydges Latimer says it knows of “no active ghost” on its premises, which are located in the centre of Christchurch.

Cricketers and close encounters

Haris Sohail is not the first cricketer to have been “spooked” by an apparent supernatural experience while staying in a team hotel.

In July, England bowler Stuart Broad switched rooms at the Langham Hotel in London when he said he was woken in the night by his bathroom taps coming on for no reason.

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson was reportedly forced to sleep on team-mate Brett Lee’s floor when he was frightened by the ghost of Lumley Castle in Chester-le-Street during the 2005 Ashes tour.