LAHORE, June 23: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not likely to take any action against Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in haste, and will first wait for the result of the appeal which the spinner is going to file against the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) verdict which banned him for life for corruption.

The ECB announced the ban decision on Friday. Kaneria, on his part, termed the decision as unfair while announcing his decision to appeal.

“The PCB has no sympathy for Danish Kaneria and any such other player [involved in corruption] and it will only follow the instructions of the ICC. We can also ban Kaneria but first we should wait for the result of the appeal the bowler is going to submit against the [ECB] punishment,” a top official of the PCB told Dawn, on the condition of anonymity.

The ECB has also handed over five-year ban on Kaneria’s team-mate Mervyn Westfield.

Westfield, the former Essex pace bowler, who was jailed for four months in January last, for accepting illegal money to concede a particular number of runs in an over during a Pro40 match against Durham in 2009, gave key evidence during the hearing against Kaneria.

“The PCB has already been urging Kaneria to produce some evidence before our integrity committee to get clearance for international cricket. But instead of doing that he moved to the Sindh High Court,” the official remarked.

He also underlined that the ICC had been closely monitoring PCB’s steps to curb corrupt practices in the game.

“Recently, PCB Governing Board decided not to allow any private company or individual to organise any local tournament without getting PCB permission, and this decision was taken to check wrongdoings in the sport,” he added.

“Though the ICC has not sent any official letter to the PCB on the subject of problems at the local level tournaments [under PCB in Pakistan], its anti-corruption unit remains sceptical about wrongdoings in local cricket events in the country,” the official stated.