KARACHI – Pakistan cricket authorities Monday endorsed a life ban imposed on Danish Kaneria by the England board over a spot-fixing scandal, saying the leg-spinner will remain suspended pending his appeal. The 31-year-old was banned for life from any cricket under the jurisdiction of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after being found guilty of corruption by a disciplinary panel. Essex paceman Mervyn Westfield, who was jailed in February after admitting he had accepted £6,000 to under-perform during a Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in 2009, had named Kaneria as the link between bookmakers and players. Under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, sanctions on any player from any member country apply in all other member countries, a rule which the game's governing body said is in place “to stamp out corruption”. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said its integrity committee had endorsed the ban imposed by the ECB and will enforce it while Kaneria's appeal is considered. “Till the matter is finally concluded by ECB's Appeal Panel, the integrity committee decided that Kaneria will not be eligible to play any cricket match, or participate in any cricket event/activity in Pakistan,” the PCB said in a statement. Kaneria took 261 wickets in 61 Tests – the most by a Pakistani spinner in all Tests – but has not played in international cricket since the tour of England in 2010. He was not considered for selection in the national team owing to the suspicions on him in the spot-fixing case. — Agencies
