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Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has delayed announcing its preliminary squad for the World Cup after asking three players, including former captain Shoaib Malik, to submit details of their assets and bank accounts due to suspicion that they might be involved in spot-fixing.
Reliable sources in the PCB confirmed that the delay in announcement of the World Cup probables and the one-day squad for the New Zealand tour came after meetings with Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Shoaib Malik.
"All three players have been told to submit their bank account and other asset details to the board for scrutiny before they can be cleared to play for Pakistan again," a source said.
This is the first time that the board has asked players to give details of their assets and bank accounts. The source said Kaneria had even submitted details of his accounts to the board on Wednesday.
"But they want more details including assets they own at home and abroad," the source said.
The decision to seek details from the players came after the national selection committee advised the board to not waste the three players for such an important event like the World Cup.
"Basically chief selector, Mohsin Khan has advised the PCB officials that they should do a thorough check on the players instead of just sidelining them for the World Cup."
"Mohsin believes that if the players are clear it would be in the interest of Pakistan cricket to have them available for selection in the World Cup," the source added.
Three Pakistani players - Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamer - are already out of contention as they remain suspended for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing.
The trio is due to appear at a full hearing of the ICC's independent code of conduct commission tribunal in Doha, Qatar in January which would decide their cricketing futures.
The selectors, on the advice of the board, have ignored Akmal, Malik and Kaneria. Two of the players are reported to have already given the PCB letters of the ICC making it clear their was no ban on them to play international or national cricket.
