PCB not to award Shoaib Malik fresh central contract

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board has denied Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik a central contract as he is yet to satisfy the integrity committee about an amount of £90,000 in his account. Sources in the PCB have said that Malik, Danish Kaneria, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar were out of contention for the central contracts of the board. “In Malik’s case he has provided everything that was asked for by the integrity committee of the board except for the questions surrounding the fate of the £90, 000,” a source told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_44522” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Ijaz Butt had noted that the Pakistan team needed an all-rounder of Malik’s caliber. Hamish Blair/Getty Images”]  [/caption] The source said the amount was found backdated in one of Malik’s accounts but was missing in the latest bank statement he submitted to PCB’s integrity committee. “The integrity committee asked him to explain where he had spent the amount but so far he has been unable to give a satisfactory reply to them,” the source said. “Malik has told the committee that he gave loans to some of his friends but was unable to give details of the persons he had given the amount to,” he added. Another source aware of the details confirmed that during his appearances before the integrity committee, it was also found that an Indian had worked as Malik’s agent for a while and was investigated. “The present situation is that Malik is clear in every regard except for the unanswered questions about how the £90,000 were spent and where,” the source said. The PCB Chairman, in a recent interview, had said that once Malik cleared the air over the issue he could walk into the Pakistan team. Ijaz Butt had noted that given his performance at the domestic level and his outstanding record in One-Day Internationals, the Pakistan team needed an all-rounder of Malik’s caliber. “I have myself spoken to him and given him brotherly advice that he should just satisfy the integrity committee about this issue and he is clear to play for Pakistan,” Butt had said. Malik last played for Pakistan on the tour of England last year but since then he has been ignored for selection and was also not considered for the World Cup. The PCB is due to announce fresh central contracts by next month for the second half of the year. Shoaib Malik is married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza. PTI