The Pakistan Cricket Board has said it is awaiting clarification from legspinner Danish Kaneria regarding the investigation by Essex police last August over his alleged involvement in spot-fixing. Kaneria was later released without charge, but he has been excluded from Pakistan's squads since then.
"We have been asking Danish to provide us with the statement he gave to the Essex police when he was under investigation in the spot-fixing scandal in county cricket last year," an unnamed PCB official said. "But so far he has not provided us with the statement."
ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that the document the PCB requires is one Kaneria has told them he cannot provide as his involvement in the case is finished now. Kaneria, say sources close to the player, has tried getting in contact with the PCB repeatedly over the last month but to no avail.
Kaneria has been ignored for international duty since the 2010 summer. He was one of three players - alongside Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik - who were summoned before the PCB's inquiry committee in order to gain clearance to play for the country. Pakistan had delayed the announcement of their 30-man World Cup squad till January 5 to complete investigating the three players, but only Kamran was included in the preliminary list for the tournament.
Kaneria was also in the original squad to play two Tests against South Africa in the UAE, but was told moments before he was about to leave for the airport that he hadn't been cleared to play. He was also not given a new central contract by the PCB last month. Essex, meanwhile, named Lonwabo Tsotsobe as their overseas player for the current season, and left Kaneria out.
Kaneria's lawyer Steve Haurigan had previously blamed the PCB's reluctance to clear Kaneria for his dwindling prospects with English county sides. "We want to know what objections the PCB have against Danish continuing to play? Because they haven't told him or us what those objections are. They are blocking him playing not only in Pakistan for the Pakistan team but also obviously outside Pakistan. The effect of the PCB being reluctant to clear Danish is that the county sides in England who are willing and almost queuing up to sign up Danish are reluctant to do it, understandably because they are not sure what's going on."
