PCB official seen with Kaneria, raises eyebrows

The Pakistan Cricket Board is likely to face some questions from the ICC after one of its senior officials was spotted at a private match in Houston, USA where banned Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria also played.
A friendship series of T20 matches in Houston was held from April 11 to 13 in which several Pakistan Test players took part.
The surprise was the appearance of Kaneria in the matches and the presence of Badar Rafai, the Marketing Director of the PCB, at these matches.
Kaneria, who has appealed in the London High Court against the life ban imposed on him by the England and Wales Cricket Board for alleged spot-fixing, was invited for the match although he is not allowed to take part in any cricket activity under the terms of his life ban.

"It appears as if the PCB may have to face some questions from the ICC on this issue as pictures of Kaneria with the other players and Rafi in a group photograph have gone viral on social networks," one source said.
The other Pakistani players who took part in these exhibition matches included Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq among others.

"We don't know anything about these matches but obviously we are looking into it because Kaneria's presence in these matches has to be questioned," one board official conceded.
Kaneria, who was banned in 2012, has not taken part in any cricket activity since than as under ICC anti-corruption laws, the life ban on the leg-spinner extends to all the full and associate members of the ICC.

Last year, the ICC had raised objections when another banned Pakistani player, Muhammad Asif, went to play in a club match in Norway on the invitation of some local organisers.
The commercial court is due to give its decision on the appeal filed by Kaneria this week. The leg-spinner had stated that he was treated unjustly.
"They have taken away my bread and butter as cricket is my livelihood," he had said.