PCB to finalise players’ clearance issue today

Suspected players are being probed by the Integrity Committee for their alleged links with bookies.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection and Integrity Committees will gather today in the first of its two-day meetings to finalise the One-Day International squads for the New Zealand tour and the World Cup.  The first meeting will focus on the clearance issue of some players who will meet the Integrity Committee in a bid to convince the PCB to retain them for the national team, according to a selector.

“We will be holding a series of meetings in the next two days,” a selector told The Express Tribune.

“The decision on the suspected players will be discussed on the first day and is likely to be finalised on the same day [today].”

Though the PCB has not officially revealed the names of the suspected players, former captain Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria are being probed by the Integrity Committee for their alleged links with bookies.

“We already did a lot of work on selection and after a decision on the suspected players we will finalise the list of 30 players for World the Cup squad on the second day.”

The selector also said that the meetings will also discuss central contracts of the players.

Amir unhappy on document leak

Mohammad Amir is unhappy after documents regarding the spot-fixing allegations were leaked in the media. The suspended fast bowler has decided to protest it at the hearing starting next week in Doha. According to an official close to the fast bowler’s case, Amir has asked his lawyer Shahid Karim to protest in the International Cricket Council (ICC) hearing.  The recently-leaked documents mentioned excerpts of statements given to the ICC by Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis and former security manager Khawaja Najam Javed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2010.