Spot-fixing: I object, says Kaneria

Leg-spinner’s lawyers challenges ECB charges in reply sent last week.


Our Correspondent May 01, 2012

KARACHI: Danish Kaneria has challenged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) through his lawyer Farogh Nasim after the organisation summoned the leg-spinner for a disciplinary hearing into corruption charges.

The ECB wanted Kaneria in for the hearing after he was named in a London court as a go-between in the scandal following which his former Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield was given a four-month sentence.

The leg-spinner was arrested in 2010 along with Westfield on suspicion of spot-fixing during an Essex match against Durham in 2009 before being released without charge.

Kaneria, who took 261 wickets in 61 Tests, has not been selected ever since for Pakistan but he has maintained his innocence in the case.

“I have raised a number of points against the charges,” Nasim told The Express Tribune.

“The ECB has been told that levelling charges without any concrete evidence is foul play. I’ve also mentioned that the code on which the charges have been levelled is not applicable.”

However, the lawyer made it clear his client had no intentions of avoiding the hearing. “We will definitely go to defend the charges. But we’ve asked the ECB to arrange one sitting for at least four to five days. The long hearing will help both parties to explain their case. Holding a hearing for just a day or calling it after long gaps will not serve the purpose.”

Nasim added the hearing has been so far scheduled for just May 21. He added that the ECB has also been asked to allow presenting six to seven witnesses in their defence.

“We will go well prepared and hopefully we will defend our case.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2012.

COMMENTS (1)

malik | 11 years ago | Reply

If he converts to Islam, then he will have hundreds of fans here expressing their support for him. Why these guys never learn ?

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