Danish Kaneria Approaches Court As He Seeks Atonement After Match-Fixing Charges

With Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not providing him any kind of relief, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has approached the court. The former spinner has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court seeking permission from the PCB to allow him to undergo their rehabilitation program for players found guilty of corruption.

He is the fourth on the list of bowlers with most Test wickets for Pakistan, behind only fast bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Imran Khan. No spinner has taken more Test wickets for Pakistan than the former leg-spinner who picked up 261 wickets in 62 Tests.

But his association with the game came to an unfortunate end when in 2012, he was banned for life from all cricket by the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on two charges for his role in spot-fixing attempts in the English County Championship pro league matches in 2009.

The spot-fixing incident involving Danish Kaneria also led to a short imprisonment of his former teammate at Essex, Mervyn Westfield who also implicated him in the case. Danish Kaneria has been requesting the PCB for long for relaxation but is yet to get any help from the board.

And he has thus decided to take legal route for the same. In a hearing presided over by Judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Sindh High Court in Karachi on Wednesday, the former cricketer’s lawyer pleaded that his client had admitted his guilt and had asked for forgiveness.

According to PTI, the lawyer said that Kaneria wanted the PCB to allow him to undergo their rehab program as the life ban was not imposed by the PCB or ICC. He argued that the life ban imposed by the ECB was only limited to cricket played in the United Kingdom not anywhere else in the world.

Kaneria said at the hearing that he only wanted to atone for his mistakes and get a chance to play in international and domestic cricket again. The leg-spinner pleaded that he had offers from some foreign T20 leagues but could not accept them out of fear that the PCB will stop him from playing.

The court has set January 15 as the next date of hearing and issued notices to the PCB and the Federal sports ministry to appear and respond to the petitioner’s plea before the court.

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