Kaneria not entitled to play for Pak even if cleared by ECB

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board has made it clear that even if Danish Kaneria is cleared of any spot-fixing charges by the disciplinary committee of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the leg-spinner will still have to get clearance from PCB`s integrity committee.

"There is no automatic reprieve for Danish even if he is not charged and cleared by ECB`s disciplinary committee at this month`s hearing," a senior official said. "He has to appear before the integrity committee of the board after the ECB inquiry and get clearance to be considered for national selection again," the official added. Kaneria has been summoned by the ECB committee along with his former Essex teammate, Mervyn Westfield for a hearing on May 21 and both faces charges of spot-fixing during a Pro-40 match involving Durham and Essex in September, 2009. Westfield has already been sentenced by a crown court earlier this year when he confessed to taking 6000 pounds to bowl wides in the match. His lawyers named Kaneria as a go-between in the whole spot-fixing scandal but the Pakistani bowler has vehemently denied the charges and pleaded innocence. Kaneria and Westfield were questioned by the Essex police in 2010 over the Pro-40 match but while Westfield was charged, the Pakistani bowler was let off due to lack of evidence. The PCB official said that Kaneria had been asked to appear before PCB`s integrity committee but his lawyers had sent a letter stating that since he was preparing for the ECB hearing there was no point in appearing before the PCB now. "The integrity committee wanted to discuss the ECB hearing with him." Kaneria has not been selected for Pakistan since September, 2010 as his case is with the integrity committee of the board. PTI