Kaneria told to produce Essex police inquiry transcript

Danish Kaneria's long battle to gain clearance from the PCB will continue, as he has now been asked by the Sindh High Court to produce a transcript of the Essex police inquiry that cleared him of criminal charges in a spot-fixing case last year. Kaneria had filed a petition in the court against his continued non-clearance by the PCB for selection for the Pakistan team.

The court had summoned the Pakistan board to explain Kaneria's exclusion, and after PCB legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi submitted a reply, the case has been adjourned to August 18, with Kaneria being asked to consult a British lawyer to obtain the transcript of the Essex police inquiry and submit it to the PCB's integrity committee. "The PCB cannot select Kaneria in the team until and unless he gets clearance from the integrity committee," Rizvi told AFP. "The court has ordered Kaneria to get another opinion from his British lawyer and submit it before the integrity committee and the matter will then be decided."

Kaneria had been questioned by police in relation to an investigation believed to centre around a Pro40 Essex win against Durham and spot-betting on wides and no-balls during the match, but was not charged.

Since that incident, Kaneria has been involved in a long battle with the PCB to clear his name for selection, appearing before its integrity committee, but has failed to convince it despite providing communications from the ICC, Essex police and the county that he was not found guilty of corruption.

After the court's latest order, Kaneria said he would follow the procedure though he was growing impatient. "I will obey the orders, but the delay is frustrating for me as I want to play for my country, which is my right after being cleared by the Essex police," Kaneria told AFP.

Pakistan's next series is a tour of Zimbabwe, which begins on August 28, leaving Kaneria in a race against time to get clearance before it begins.

Kaneria was Pakistan's first-choice Test spinner for nearly seven years from 2003, and has played 61 Tests, taking 261 wickets. He has been excluded since last October, when he was withdrawn from the squad to face South Africa the day he was set to depart for the tour.