Spot-fixing: Kaneria loses appeal against life ban

Kaneria found guilty of 'pressurising' former Essex team-mate into accepting cash in return for trying for runs.

LONDON: Controversial Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria failed in his appeal to overturn his lifetime ban from cricket on Friday.

Kaneria was banned last year for his role in a spot-fixing plot, but denied all involvement and immediately indicated his intention to contest the decision.

The 32-year-old was found guilty of "cajoling and pressurising" former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield into accepting cash in return for trying to concede a set number of runs in an over during an English county Pro40 match in 2009.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said in July that Kaneria would be suspended from playing in his home country until the outcome of the appeal was known.

Westfield served two months of a four-month prison sentence last year after admitting spot-fixing and was banned from professional cricket for five years.

The 24-year-old was summoned to appear as a witness, against his wishes, at the appeal after the England and Wales Cricket Board obtained a witness summons order from the High Court to force Westfield to attend to give evidence against Kaneria.

During his criminal trial last year, Westfield named Kaneria as the figure who induced him into accepting £6,000 from a bookmaker to under-perform in a match in 2009.

That evidence was key to the ECB's case in imposing their life ban on the former Pakistan leg-spinner but, feeling he was harshly treated in return by the governing body in terms of his own ban, Westfield refused to cooperate further.

With Kaneria's legal team arguing Westfield's original evidence was inadmissible at the appeal, the ECB took the last resort of an order to compel Westfield.

Kaneria's appeal hearing was due to take place last December but was postponed because Westfield did not attend.