Kaneria hopes for one-day recall

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, is hopeful that with former international players holding decision-making posts in the PCB he will get another chance to return to one-day side. Kaneria said he had been preparing for a recall by playing limited-overs domestic cricket in England and at home.

"Javed Miandad [director general of the PCB] has been a big supporter and he has always guided me in my career," Kaneria was quoted as saying in the Pakistan daily News. "While Abdul Qadir [chief selector] is a legspinner himself and has played in one-day internationals, so he would know the importance of having specialist spinners in limited-overs cricket." The Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam was also a legspinner.

"I have been bowling regularly in one-day and Twenty20 cricket for my English county Essex, and even in our domestic cricket for Sind and Habib Bank. So I am prepared when the opportunity does come my way."

Kaneria last featured in a one-day international during the World Cup in 2007 and with Pakistan playing no Tests in 2008, he had to keep himself busy playing for Essex and the Baluchistan Bears. In five matches in the Friends Provident Trophy (50 overs), Kaneria took six wickets at 23.33 and in the same number of games in the Pro40 he took seven at 27 - Essex won the two tournaments. He took four wickets in four Pentangular one-day games for Baluchistan at 54.75.

Kaneria said a spinner needed to have a run of matches to establish himself in one-day cricket, since "the requirements and demands on a legspinner in both formats of the game are different."