“PCB has given no reason as yet why I was stopped from travelling to UAE”: Kaneria

KARACHI - Pakistan’s highest wicket-taking spin bowler Danish Kaneria has said that he has no idea why he was not permitted to make the trip to Dubai, as he has not received any communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in this regard so far.

“I was all set to travel and then suddenly I’m told I won’t be travelling to the Emirates,” Pakpassion.net quoted Kaneria, as saying.

“I haven’t heard anything from the Pakistan Cricket Board regarding why I couldn’t travel to Dubai. They (the PCB), as yet have not given me any reason to why I was not allowed to travel. There has been no communication at all from the Board,” he added.

Kaneria was due to fly to Dubai early on Sunday morning as one of the group of five players, but was called by a board official just before he was due to leave for the airport, and informed that he could not go. Meanwhile, the other four- Mohammad Sami, Azhar Ali, Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Yousuf- left to join the Pakistan squad in the UAE.

The PCB has not made any official announcement on the matter, and thus it remains unclear whether the decision has anything to do with the board’s attempts to “sort itself out” and tighten up against corruption.

Kaneria was the subject of a criminal investigation earlier in the English summer by Essex police over allegations that he was involved in spot-fixing during a county game, the website said, adding that the investigations had begun in May, and Kaneria was cleared by Essex police in September.

On Sunday, Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam confirmed that the 29-year-old had indeed been stopped from travelling to the UAE for the Test series, saying, “Kaneria has not been given clearance to travel to the UAE by the PCB.”

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, who has taken 261 wickets in 61 Test matches so far, to make an appearance later on in the Test series, Alam said, “I think he will be unavailable for the whole series.” (ANI)