Kaneria hire lawyers for ECB inquiry

Karachi, April 9: previous Pakistan leg-spin bowler Danish Kaneria said on Monday he has hired a legal team for an English cricket board corrective hearing over a spot-fixing case that sent his former Essex team-mate to prison.

Mervyn Westfield was jailed for 4 months in February after admit that he customary money to under-perform during a Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in 2009.The 23-year-old seamer named Kaneria - arrested with him in 2010 but released with no charge - as the link among bookmakers and players.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said last week that Westfield and Kaneria would face a corrective hearing in May. Kaneria has hired 3 lawyers, 2 from the UK and one from Pakistan to stand for him before the England and Wales Cricket Board, said a report from the player's lawyer Farogh Naseem.Naseem said Kaneria, who took 276 international wickets in 61 Tests and 18 ODI match for Pakistan, denied the allegation.

Kaneria pleads not culpable to the charges. And also objects to any authorize being inflicted on him; the lawyer said.Kaneria's legal team has asked the ECB to delay the hearing waiting at least May 10 to give them time to study a 400-page proof bundle. In February, London's Old Bailey court was told Westfield was paid nearly $10,000 to bowl so that an exact number of runs would be chalked up in the 1st over of a match flanked by Durham and Essex in September 2009.

The 31-year-old Kaneria faces a life ban from the match if found culpable at the hearing, where a number of Essex players are predictable to give evidence. He has not played for Pakistan since the Nottingham Test against England in August 2010 - the same tour that saw the legendary spot-fixing episode in the Lord's Test, which led to then-captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed on bribery charges.

Smith surgery on his left ankle. He Wills miss the IPL-5

South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith will be forced to miss the coming 5th season of the Indian Premier League as he has to suffer surgery on his left ankle. Smith plays for Pune Warriors team

I'm very upset to be missing out on the IPL this year. I was look forward to my 2nd season IPL Pune Warriors, especially after my knees set me back last season, Smith was quoted as saying by media. Smith was unable to play the full season of IPL last year (2011) as well. He was able to play only 4 matches in IPL-4 as he injured his right knee after collide with his team-mate Rahul Sharma in a match against the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala; Smith afterward had to have surgery for that injury.

The decision to have the surgery was full after consulting with Cricket South Africa's ankle expert, who detected an impingement syndrome of the ankle, South Africa team manager Mohammad Moosajee said. The recovery period after such a surgery usually takes 8 to 10weeks, and he will afterward not be able to represent Pune Warriors at the 2012 edition of the IPL in India, Moosajee said in a CSA release. The surgery will be perform next Tuesday, which we will give Smith enough time to return to full condition in time for South Africa's tour of England in July. Smith said the ankle had been worrying him for a while, adding it will be a aid to have it repaired.

Smith recently led Mohammad Moosajee to a series win in New Zealand last month where he scored 282 runs with a highest score of 115 in the 3-Test series at an average of 56.40.Smith is on the verge of 2 career landmarks: he's set to play his 100th Test in the series-opener in England and is on route to match Australian Allan Border's record of 93 Tests as captain during the tour. He also needs only 6 match more wins to reach the world-record for most Test victory as captain.