Danish Kaneria: ‘I did not sell my country’
Danish Kaneria still dreams of wearing the Pakistan jersey again.
He visualises himself running in to bowl from over the wicket with two slips and a silly point in place. But just as the thought brings a smile on his face, the 35-year-old snaps back to reality.
The ostracised legspinner cannot afford to dream for too long. The world he feels is ‘against him’.
Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif are back, putting in impressive performances on the domestic circuit and Mohammad Amir has already begun a new chapter in his international career. The three convicted players have all returned to competitive cricket after serving their five-year spot-fixing bans.
Yet for Kaneria, who was banned for life in 2012 for “prompting a fellow cricketer” into fixing, there has been absolutely no positive to fall back on.
But the once bubbly bowler doesn’t let those fears overcome his faith of returning to the cricketing fold as a clean man.
“I have faith in bhagwan that I will stand vindicated and this hostility against me will soon be over,” the Karachi-born leggie tells Dawn.
Kaneria, who is Pakistan’s leading spinner in Tests, was accused of being involved in a spot-fixing scandal during England’s domestic Pro40 match in 2009.
According to Kaneria, his involvement is yet to be proven in a court of law, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have maintained their life ban on him.
Kaneria was accused for “prompting” Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield into spot-fixing.
“It was Westfield’s testimony alone that pushed the England board into banning me for life,” says Kaneria.
“There was no proof, nothing. Had there been any evidence, the Essex Police wouldn’t have let me go clean.”
Westfield, for conceding a planned number of runs in a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009, received £6,000 and after being proven guilty, he was handed over a five-year ban from professional and a three-year ban from club cricket.
But it was Westfield’s testimony that Kaneria lured him into spot-fixing which saw the Pakistani leg-spinner being banned for life in July 2012.