Pakistan all-rounder 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 are in New Zealand for two warm-up matches and two one-day internationals ahead of the World Cup.

Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema 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 traumatised 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.

-bbc