0
KARACHI: A lawyer for leg-spinner Danish Kaneria warned Saturday he may go to court if Pakistan's cricket authorities do not clear his client of suspicions of match-fixing.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) omitted the 30-year-old Kaneria from 30-man squad for next month's World Cup and the Test series now under way in New Zealand, after his arrest in England on suspicion of corruption last year.
The leg-spinner was arrested in May on charges of spot-fixing during a Pro40 match between Essex and Durham a year earlier, but released without charge.
British lawyer Steven Haurigan told reporters Kaneria had been cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and by police in Britain, but that the PCB had refused to discuss the matter with them.
“It's been frustrating for Kaneria as the PCB is not telling him what is the block in his playing for Pakistan and they (PCB) turned down our request for a meeting on Saturday,” Haurigan said.
“We don't want this matter to be dragged on but if the PCB doesn't reply I cannot rule out the option of taking a legal course.”
Haurigan presented the news briefing with a copy of an ICC email which he said had cleared his client.
“You can look at it that the ICC has cleared Kaneria and written that there is no ongoing investigation against Kaneria and the Essex police and the Wales and England Cricket Board have also cleared him,” said the lawyer.
Haurigan said he had sought a meeting with the PCB to clear things up.
“We want to answer the PCB and clear up any confusion they have regarding the Essex police case, and secondly to know what objections they (PCB) have to Kaneria's clearance,” he said.
“Kaneria has not done anything wrong and because he has not been cleared by the PCB he cannot sign up a new contract with any county in England.
“Kaneria has also given details of his bank accounts as he has nothing to hide, so we want to know why he is not allowed to do the job he loves to do,”said Haurigan.
The wily leg-spinner has so far taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests -- the most by any Pakistani spinner -- and was successful with Essex during his seven-year stint which ended last year.
