PCB committee delays decision on selection clearance

KARACHI: The integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to take a decision on granting clearance to some senior players for their selection in the national team.
Only after the committee's clearance Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Yasir Hameed could be considered for selection in Pakistan's World Cup Preliminary squad and ODI series in New Zealand.
The committee met in Lahore on Thursday and interviewed former captain Malik, wicketkeeper Akmal, leg-spinner Kaneria and Hameed in a marathon session but no details were released by the Board on the outcome of the meeting.
"The integrity committee not only questioned the players but also went through the documents about their assets submitted to the Board.
"Apparently some documentation issues with the players still remain but the committee is likely to give a decision particularly on Malik and Akmal soon," the source said.
The national selectors are scheduled to meet on Friday to finalise the one-day squad for New Zealand and the World Cup preliminary list of 30 players.
The International Cricket Council has already given the PCB an extended deadline of up to January 5, 2011 to submit the preliminary squad.
The committee had asked for some documents from the senior players after suspicions were raised about the sources of their income and assets following the spot-fixing scandal.
"No details are available on what exactly happened at the meeting but apparently all the players were given a thorough grilling by the committee members and the PCB Chairman about how they had acquired their assets and their sources of income.
"Retired Justice Jamshed Shah who is a member of the committee also questioned the players in legal terms," the source said.
The source said Kaneria was being investigated by the committee over his questioning in England by the Essex police while he was playing county cricket for Essex .
Kaneria and another Essex player Mervyn Westfield were investigated by the police after claims surfaced that they were involved in spot-fixing during a Pro-40 match while playing for the county against Durham in September, 2009.