'There was too much pressure' - Kaneria

Danish Kaneria has vowed to put the World Cup behind him © Getty Images

Danish Kaneria says there "was too much pressure" on him and his Pakistan team-mates in the aftermath of the World Cup. Pakistan's early exit at the hands of Ireland prompted an investigation in which Inzamam-ul-Haq was called to explain the players' performance.

"There was too much pressure from all over with the changes in the PCB, the changing in the team with the captain stepping down and an investigation going on with each player into why we lost."

He has vowed to put the ruins of Pakistan's World Cup behind him and concentrate on county cricket, telling the Essex CCC website, "life has to continue."

And Kaneria is certainly putting wickets where his mouth is, with a 13-wicket haul in Essex's Championship victory against Glamorgan in their last match. "What happened [at the World Cup] was disastrous but I have to just carry on keep playing my cricket," he said. "I've tried to put it in the back of my mind and carry on with life. When something happens like that, life has to continue."

Even so, it was touch and go whether the PCB would clear him to play, but he got the nod as Pakistan's commitments in the next six months are comparatively light. "It was a hard time when coming back to Pakistan from the West Indies but in the end they gave me the clearance."

He believes that it's not just he who will benefit from playing county cricket, but also the other seven Pakistan players in the English domestic game. "All the selectors and all the people in Pakistan [...] will be pleased to see the boys performing well over here so that when they come back to perform for their country they will do the same as for their county."

Azhar Mahmood has had a good start to his season at Surrey, although the county has lost twice. Sussex, the defending champions, have filled their two overseas berths with a combination of Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who have made an emphatic start, and Saqlain Mushtaq will fill in later.

Umar Gul will head to Gloucestershire, while Leicestershire have the legspinner Mansoor Amjad, and Younis Khan has helped with Yorkshire's two Championship victories.