London, Apr 10 (IANS): Essex police is likely to question Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria over a cricket betting scandal.

The Sun reported Saturday that Kaneria and another Essex player are to be probed following incidents in one-day matches last summer. The Pakistan star is missing the start of the season with his county - the official reason being he is playing in a domestic tournament at home.

While Kaneria's future at Essex is now in doubt, the other player - who is a lower-profile member of the staff, is not featuring in the opening championship match against Hampshire - will almost certainly be released if found guilty.

The newspaper said that Essex have known about the allegations for a month but were shocked when they became public.

"I am not allowed to comment," the newspaper quoted Essex coach Paul Grayson as saying.

The 29-year-old Kaneria has taken 254 wickets in 58 Tests and is due to play against England in the second half of the summer.

Televised matches in the Twenty20 Cup and the 40-over competition attract millions of pounds worth of gambling money because they are normally shown in India.

The daily also said that the players did not actively throw matches but manipulated passages of play by bowling poorly or sending down no-balls or wides.