PCB to decide on Shoaib, Kaneria in March 8 meeting

KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar's apology after his outburst against the Pakistan Cricket Board on the contract issue has apparently not cut much ice and PCB would decide in its March 8 meeting whether to pick the erratic speedster for next month's series against Australia.
    
Shoaib was slapped a show-cause notice after the pacer criticised the board, questioning some of its policies.
    
Shoaib subsequently tendered an apology but a senior PCB official said the matter was still not closed.
    
Apart from Shoaib, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was also served a similar notice after he too had criticised the board.
    
"Shoaib has sent in his reply to a show-cause notice we issued to him earlier this month. He has apologised for things he said in his statements," the PCB official said.
    
"We have also got Danish Kaneria's explanation. But their replies and cases have been forwarded to the disciplinary committee whose recommendations would be deliberated upon on March 8 in Islamabad at our governing body meeting," he added.
    
Both the bowlers had criticised PCB after the board handed out new central contracts to 15 players.
    
In the new contracts, Kaneria was demoted to category C while Shoaib was dropped from the elite list.
    
The fast bowler responded by accusing the PCB of having double standards and he further antagonised the Board insisting that PCB couldn't ask him for explanations as he was not under any contract.