Bowler Westfield, 23, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to being paid 6,000 pounds to give away a set number of runs in the first over of a match between his Essex side and Durham in September 2009.
The London court heard that Westfield’s Essex team mate Kaneria told him that a friend would pay him to cheat, Britain’s Press Association reported.
Mark Milliken-Smith, lawyer for Westfield, told the court: “It is clear, we submit, that Kaneria and his associates targeted Westfield.
“Westfield was on the verge of the squad, more susceptible for that reason; less likely perhaps to be able to say no to the club’s international star, his future with the club uncertain.”
The court was told other Essex players heard Kaneria talking about spot-fixing while Milliken-Smith told the court a “blind eye” was turned to the rumours.
Westfield, who was playing in one of his first televised matches, received an interim suspension order from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Legbreak bowler Kaneria was arrested in connection with the case but later released without charge.
Kaneria’s lawyer Farogh Naseem brushed aside Westfield’s claims. “I think we can only take any step once the inquiry is finished,” Naseem told AFP in Karachi. “It is Westfield’s word against Kaneria and a lot will depend on what evidence he puts before the court against my client.”
Naseem reiterated that Kaneria had been cleared by the police.
“At the time of the police inquiry, Kaneria was not charged and cleared. The ICC (International Cricket Council) cleared him so we feel that Kaneria was discharged in the case,” he said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) withdrew Kaneria after he was selected for the series against South Africa in October 2010 and has since not cleared him for selection, apparently waiting for the Westfield inquiry to be completed. Kaneria was allowed to play domestic cricket, however, and has represented Sindh in the ongoing Pentangular Cup in Pakistan.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said, “This is really very disappointing for Pakistan cricket.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2012.
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Instead of saying well done PCB, and heaping scorn on an undoubtedly broken institution, can we rather say well done Pakistani's - it seems there's more of a sense of pervasive corruption within Pakistani's, particularly if people blame the PCB for failing to stop fixing rather than blaming the players for indulging in it!
@monis: Because Mervyn pleaded guilty to the charges unlike the 3 shmucks who pleaded not guilty to the charges hence the harsher sentence
@monis: Muhammad Amir got 6 months and now is out even. Only Muhammad Asif and Salman Butt got years of jail.
PCB has no link with Kaneria, he is on his own,let him deal the situation
Why 4 months jail to Mervyn ? and years of jail to Pakistani players ?
Kaneria has no central contract, neither was he playing for Pakistan at the time. How come its PCB's fault?
@Pro Bono Publico Isn't it PCB's Job to Keep their Players away from all that SCUM??Dats y Iam Blaming PCB...
@ayesha azeem: Why blame PCB? Did it direct the cheaters to cheat? Does it get a %age of their take?
God....Danish Karneria too....Keep it up PCB..we are proud of You