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Court orders new PCB election

The Islamabad High Court has ordered the acting PCB chairman Najam Sethi to hold an election for his office within 90 days. The High Court was responding to a petition filed by a former Rawalpindi Cricket Association official against the board elections held in May, when Zaka Ashraf was elected chairman for a four-year term under the new PCB constitution.

Ashraf was later suspended from his post by the High Court, after there were questions raised about the legality of his election. The High Court said the process had been "dubious" and "polluted" and Sethi was appointed as interim chairman during Ashraf's suspension.

The petitioner had also called for the suspension of the PCB's new constitution but the High Court ordered the new elections to be held under the same constitution. The petition has now been disposed.

Ashraf was the first-ever elected PCB chairman under the new constitution, which in February removed the system of the Patron of the board, the President of Pakistan, choosing the chairman. Nine governing board members endorsed Ashraf and the process was conducted without any prior announcement, the board revealing Ashraf's appointment through a press release.

After his election, however, Ashraf faced opposition from the regional associations of Punjab, Pakistan's largest province with 60% of country's population, for preventing them from being part of the board. Instead, two new regions without any first-class teams - Larkana and Dera Murad Jamali - were represented on the board.

Kaneria life ban upheld on appeal

Danish Kaneria has failed in an attempt to have his life ban from cricket reduced © AFP  Enlarge

Related Links In Focus: Corruption in cricket Players/Officials: Danish Kaneria | Mervyn Westfield Teams: England | Pakistan

Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan legspinner, has lost his appeal against a life ban from cricket imposed by the ECB. Kaneria was banned in June 2012 after being found guilty of corruption in the spot-fixing case involving Mervyn Westfield but had been hoping to get the sanction reduced.

However, the ECB announced on Tuesday that a disciplinary commission appeals panel had rejected Kaneria's case. ESPNcricinfo understands that a decision on the £100,000 costs that were imposed on Kaneria was deferred.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, said the board welcomed the decision. "The appeal panel's findings in this case clearly confirm the disciplinary panel's finding that Mr Kaneria acted as a recruiter of potential 'spot-fixers' and used his seniority and international experience to target and corrupt a young and vulnerable player," Clarke said.

"The ECB will continue to advocate the need for the strongest possible deterrent sanctions for anyone found guilty of such conduct. Such sanctions are vital for the protection of the integrity of our great game.

"We trust that today's decision will serve as a stark reminder to all professional cricketers and those involved in professional cricket of the life-changing consequences of corruption and the importance of immediately reporting any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities."

Westfield, Kaneria's team-mate at Essex who spent time in prison after admitting to receiving payment in order to underperform, also appealed the length of his ban. He was originally given a five-year suspension from the game, although he would have been allowed to return to club cricket after three years.

However, the panel decided to reduce the second element of the ban, providing Westfield cooperates with the anti-corruption programme run by the Professional Cricketers' Association. That being the case, he can resume playing club cricket from April 1, 2014.

"The ECB notes the appeal panel's decision on Mr Westfield's appeal against the length of his ban," the ECB chief executive, David Collier, said. "Without Mr Westfield's stand, the corrupt actions of Mr Kaneria might not have been exposed. The ECB will support Mr Westfield's efforts to rehabilitate himself and as part of this process hopes that he can raise awareness of the dangers of corruption in cricket."

The lawyers of Kaneria, who lost a previous appeal against the two guilty verdicts handed down by the ECB despite continuing to deny his involvement, have previously suggested they could try to take the case to the High Court in London. Because of an agreement between boards affiliated to the ICC, the ECB ban applied to Kaneria is applicable throughout world cricket and would effectively mean the end of his career.

Razzaq in trouble over Hafeez criticism

Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a showcause notice to the allrounder Abdul Razzaq and asked him to explain his outburst against Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez after the World Twenty20.
On his return from Sri Lanka, Razzaq criticised Hafeez for selecting him in only one game of the tournament. "It was Hafeez's decision not to pick me for the semi-final, not anyone else's," Razzaq told reporters in Lahore. "I know the team management didn't drop me, it was Hafeez alone who didn't want me to play."
PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar confirmed that Razzaq was bound to follow the code of conduct though he wasn't a centrally contracted player. By speaking to the media without the PCB's consent, he had breached the player's code of conduct, which forbids them from speaking to the media without prior permission from the board.
"He [Razzaq] has been served a showcause notice for breaching the code of conduct," Sarwar told ESPNcricinfo. "He has been given seven days to respond, starting from October 10."
After being selected in the Pakistan squad, for the World Twenty 20, after a gap of nine months, Razzaq played just one game in the tournament, scoring 22 off 17 balls in the Super Eights win over Australia. "I was very sad and disappointed to not get a chance to play in the semi-final. I was mentally prepared for the big match and it came as a huge letdown to know I was not playing," Razzaq said, adding that Pakistan had the perfect opportunity to win the tournament.

Razzaq likely to face disciplinary action over Hafeez selection spat

Karachi, Oct. 8: Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is likely to face disciplinary action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) due to his outburst against captain Mohammad Hafeez after being dropped from the World Twenty20 semi-final against Sri Lanka.

Razzaq created a controversy by blaming Hafeez for his exclusion from the match, which Pakistan lost by 16 runs, describing the decision as ''illogical and taken only by Hafeez'', reports The Express Tribune.
According to a PCB official, action against Razzaq was likely even though he is not a centrally-contracted player.
"Razzaq was bound by PCB rules. Even if a player is not contracted he has to follow instructions. His statement may invite sanctions. The feedback from coach and manager will also be taken," the official said.
Meanwhile, a team official, who was part of the selection process, defined Razzaq''s remarks as unnecessary.
"It''s very unfortunate. There were no hidden intentions behind his snub. Razzaq''s replacement Sohail Tanvir justified his selection with a good bowling performance. It was just another bad day for our batting otherwise all went well before," said the official.
The manager downplayed Razzaq''s claims that Hafeez took an independent decision.
"It''s impossible for a single member of the tour selection committee to make a decision. Coach Dav Whatmore, PCB selector Salim Jaffer and manager Naveed Akram were also part of the selection panel," he said.