Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria, serving a life ban after being found guilty on charges of spot-fixing, has appealed to the three-member Pakistan Cricket Board tribunal to revisit his case in the backdrop of betting allegations surrounding the Pakistan Super League, reported PTI.
The PCB had announced a three-member tribunal headed by former Lahore high court judge Asghar Haider to hold proceedings against suspended players Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif. The players were sent home after just one game over spot-fixing allegations. Kaneria was banned for life in June 2012 by the ECB’s anti-corruption tribunal for trying to convince his Essex teammates into spot-fixing in county matches.
The tribunal, led by former Lahore High Court judge Asghar Haider also includes former Chairman of the board Tauqir Zia, and former Pakistan captain Wasim Bari.
Kaneria pleaded innocence stating that he was wrongly implicated. “I have been saying all along that the anti-corruption panel of the England and Wales Cricket Board imposed the life ban on me based on the statement of my Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield, who himself has told lies about me and had to be forcibly summoned to attend the hearings,” Kaneria said. “No one listened to us. Lot of anomalies in the statements of Westfield against me were ignored. I didn’t get justice,” the leg-spinner said.
“Now since the PCB has formed this tribunal to probe the spot-fixing charges against the two players, I just want them to also revisit and review my case. I want them to go through all documents and see for themselves I was not treated fairly in the hearing process,” he added.
Kaneria, who picked up 261 wickets in 61 Tests also lashed out at the PCB. “The PCB didn’t support me throughout the case in England because they said it is in the jurisdiction of ECB but now they can help me out by simply asking the tribunal to reopen my case and look at it,” Kaneria said.
