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Kaneria, Afridi in trouble

Karachi: Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi could face disciplinary action for voicing their dissent in the media which amounts to violation of the code of conduct in their central contracts.

Shafqat Naghmi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said that the PCB was examining the statements of both the players regarding their central contracts but personally felt they were against the code of conduct.

Talk it out

“If some player has any problems with his categorisation in the new central contracts system, he should come and talk to us. Danish came to me and complained and I told him he was demoted because his performances against South Africa and India were not satisfactory,” Naghmi said.

“But, we can’t have players voicing their dissent or making controversial statements in the media,” he added.

While Kaneria, who has played 51 Tests, said he was frustrated and embarrassed at being bracketed with players who have played lesser cricket than him, Afridi hit the bull’s eye by claiming there was a lack of unity and spirit in the national team due to the attitude of some players. Naghmi said the statements of both players would be studied by the Board’s disciplinary committee and action would be taken on their recommendations.

CA to keep monitoring

Meanwhile, despite the PCB’s assurance to the Australians that they will be provided tight security during their March-April tour, Cricket Australia said it would continue to monitor the situation before giving the green signal.

The PCB has offered top security to the Australians, including personal bodyguards to each player and roads being closed to all traffic as the team travels to and from grounds, but it seems that CA has been far from satisfied.

With Pakistan’s national election scheduled for February 18, Cricket Australia wants to continue monitoring the security situation.

“The fundamental principle for us is we need to be sure about safety and security, and we and the ACA (Australian Cricketers’ Association) have a joint view that we can’t compromise on security,” CA spokesman Peter Young told Australian Associated Press.

O’Connor to write

CA said it still had “issues” with the venues in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad, and that its chairman Creagh O’Connor will write to his Pakistan counterpart to outline his worries.

“We are familiar with all four cities, and they all have got the appropriate facilities for playing cricket,” Young said.

The PCB, on the other hand, wanted the CA to conduct a pre-tour visit before expressing concerns over the proposed venues. — PTI

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