LONDON: Disgraced pace bowler Mervyn Westfield on Monday said that he had been forced to attend the appeal hearing of Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria or face arrest.

The case in London began on Monday and is due to last until Thursday, with Kaneria hoping to overturn a life ban imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last year for inducing Westfield to under-perform in a 2009 county match.

The 32-year-old Kaneria is effectively banned from all cricket worldwide, as all boards under the jurisdiction of the International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body have agreed to uphold punishments made by member countries in such cases.

On the eve of the hearing, though, it was unclear whether Westfield would attend but the 24-year-old said he had only reluctantly agreed.

“I have made it abundantly clear to the ECB that I have no desire to participate in this hearing or to provide any further evidence to that which I had previously done in June 2012,” he said in a statement.

“The ECB has this time decided to take the hostile route in seeking the help of a High Court judge, who has signed a court summons in order to secure my attendance.

“As I understand, by not attending today, the ECB would return to the High Court and a warrant for my arrest would be requested.”

Both Westfield and Kaneria were arrested in 2010 but while no action was taken against the Pakistan leg spinner, the former Essex quick was prosecuted and found guilty of taking 6,000 pounds off a bookmaker he had been introduced to by Kaneria to bowl below par.

He served two months of a four-month prison sentence and was also banned from first-class cricket for five years.