The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally shown some sympathy towards the banned leg-spinner Danish Kaneria by offering to find him a job in the Cricket Activities Department, as revealed by sources.
According to well-informed source in the Pakistan board, the offer was made when a Hindu member of parliament Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who belongs to the ruling PML-N, raised the issue of the life ban imposed on Kaneria by the England and Wales Cricket Board and the PCB doing nothing to support him.
During a meeting to discuss cricket, the MNA and the other members of a National Assembly standing committee on inter-provincial coordination, asked PCB to make a call on Kaneria’s future, who was banned by the ECB four years ago in the corruption case after a hearing in England.
“Yes the MNA and others did raise an issue with the fact that Kaneria who had served Pakistan cricket for so long was without any job because of the ban imposed on him and was finding it difficult to make ends meet,” a source said.
In reply, the PCB gave a nod to MNA and assured them of extracting Kaneria out of financial crises by helping him find a well-payed employment for himself.
“But the MNA insisted that the PCB should give him a cricket related job and this is not possible since the life ban on him by the ECB means he can’t have anything to do with cricket after being found guilty of corruption,” the source said.
Kaneria, who took 261 Test wickets, was banned in June 2012 while playing for Essex in the English county championship.
(With inputs from PTI)