Removal of fixing ban: PCB responds to Danish Kaneria and Saleem Malik

Pakistan Cricket Board was approached by Danish Kaneria and Saleem Malik on unrelated and separate matters. After carefully reviewing and studying both their requests, the PCB has responded to the two former cricketers.

The synopses of the responses are:

Danish Kaneria (rehabilitation programme)

• You were banned for life by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission after it was established that you had ‘knowingly induced or encouraged Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits in the Durham match’

• You subsequently challenged the decision before the Appeal Panel of the Cricket Disciplinary Commission, which was upheld. Then, you appealed before a commercial bench of the High Court in London, which was dismissed. Then, you appealed before the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), which was rejected

• The PCB’s rehabilitation programme is offered to players upon conclusion of the respective periods of ineligibility and not for players who are serving life bans

• The life ban was imposed by the ECB and upheld by all ICC Members as per Article 9 of the ICC/PCB Anti-Corruption Code, and the only way it could have been overturned was by way of appeal, an avenue which have already been explored

• Article 6.8 of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code, which is applicable in this case, clearly states only the chair of the anti-corruption tribunal, which has imposed a period of ineligibility on a player, had the discretion to permit the player to participate

• As such, you are advised to approach the ECB as per Article 6.8 of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code

Saleem Malik (failure to respond to transcripts provided by ICC of April 2000 conversation)

• You chose not to respond to the contents of the transcripts of a conversation that took place in April 2000

• In the backdrop of the above, the PCB will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter

• The denial and avoidance to respond to the transcripts doesn’t change the admission when, in a 5 May 2014 letter to the then PCB Chairman, you wrote:

o “Sir, after consultations and on my free will, I have reached a decision that I am ready to accept my wrongdoing, apologise to the fans and want to start by rehabilitation process. I fully understand the consequence of my decision and am ready to cooperate to every extent with ICC and PCB for my rehabilitation program. I would request PCB to talk to ICC if required and start my rehabilitation program at the earliest.”