Kaneria likely to be “unavailable for whole series” in UAE: Intikhab Alam

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s ace leg spinner Danish Kaneria will not be a part of the Test squad in the UAE, as cricket authorities did not clear him for the forthcoming Tests against South Africa.

Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam confirmed that Kaneria had indeed been stopped from travelling to the UAE for the Test series, PakPassion.net reported.

“Kaneria has not been given clearance to travel to the UAE by the PCB,” he said.

When pressed for the reason behind suddenly axing Kaneria from the team, Alam stated, “I can’t comment on why Danish has not been given clearance, it’s a policy matter and decision by the PCB and I am not in a position to comment on the reason why.”

Asked if he expected Kaneria to make an appearance later on in the Test series, Alam said, “I think he will be unavailable for the whole series.”

The PCB is being non-committal with the details of Kaneria’s removal from the Test squad, and there has been no official press release from the Board, therefore increasing speculations on whether the reason for Danish Kaneria’s removal from the Test series against the Proteas had indeed been taken out of their hands, the paper said.

29-year-old Kaneria, a veteran of 61 Tests and 15 one day internationals, was expected to be a key member of Pakistan’s spin bowling arsenal, and has been in sparkling form in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. So far, he has picked up 18 wickets for Habib Bank Limited in Pakistan’s premier domestic four-day tournament. (ANI)