l ISLAMABAD

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked legspinner Danish Kaneria to reappear before its integrity committee and respond to allegations he was involved in fixing county matches.

A judge in London sentenced Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield to four months in prison for on-field corruption last week, and accused Kaneria of pressuring teammates from the county side to fix matches.

"Danish Kaneria will again be called to appear before the integrity committee to explain his position," the PCB said yesterday, in a joint statement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Kaneria denies the allegations, and claimed he had been cleared by British police, the ECB and the ICC. Both cricketing organisations deny the claims, however, saying the legspinner has never been issued with a clearance certificate.

The PCB has overlooked Kaneria for the national team since Westfield's case surfaced in 2010, forming an integrity committee to hear his case. The committee has yet to clear Kaneria.

For the past two years, Kaneria had been trying to clear his name, and even appealed to the Sindh High Court in Karachi to try and overturn his unofficial suspension. But the court dismissed his appeal last year, saying it was not within its jurisdiction.

Essex police cleared Kaneria of criminal charges in September 2010, following allegations he was involved in spot-fixing during a county match against Durham in 2009.

The PCB's integrity committee has directed Kaneria to provide copies of the tapes of his Essex police interview.

The legspinner was once an integral part of Pakistan's test team, claiming 261 wickets in 61 tests at an average of 34.79.