Danish Kaneria admits his involvement in the Mervyn Westfield spot-fixing case

Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria, six years after he was banned for life by ECB, has admitted of being guilty in the spot-fixing case with his former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield. Westfield had then admitted having accepted £6000 to concede a set number of runs in a single over during the Pro40 game against Durham in September 2009. Kaneria was alleged to be the link between him and Anu Bhatt (the person involved in the illegal betting). But the charges were dropped on him due to the lack of evidence.

Kaneria har repeatedly pleaded not guilty to the offence and unsuccessfully appealed a number of times to have his life ban revoked. Meanwhile, Westfield was jailed after he accepted the charges of corruption against him. Though th ban on Kaneria was imposed by ECB, the ICC’s rules and regulation state that the decision should be upheld by the boards around the world which eventually ended his career.

I say Sorry to Pakistan

“My name is Danish Kaneria and I admit that I was guilty of the two charges brought against me by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2012. I have become strong enough to make this decision because you cannot live a life with lies,” Danish Kaneria told Al Jazeera. He explained the whole scenario of meeting Anu Bhatt and how he ignored repeated warnings from the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).

“In 2005 on a West Indies tour, my assistant manager introduced me to Anu Bhatt, because he was a Hindu and he was a cricket fan. Then we were on a India tour and over there, 2008 it was I think, Anu Bhatt invited the whole team for dinner, so me and my wife and other cricketers went to his house for the dinner. [ACU] Came to Pakistan and told several cricketers and me that he is a suspicious guy and is involved in doing fixing.

“I regret very much, I didn’t complain to the higher authorities, like English Cricket Board or ICC unit. I didn’t inform or didn’t tell them this guy is over here [in the UK],” the 37-year-old added. Kaneria also felt that being a senior cricketer then, he should’ve stopped Mervyn, who wanted to become a rich cricketer, from meeting Bhatt telling him about him being a suspicion. He also apologised to Pakistan fans and Mervyn as well for letting them down.

“Mervyn used to tell me that he wants to become a rich cricketer. I was highly paid in Essex, and I was an international player at that time. And I was living a life, a very lavish life, so he also wanted to make money. I think he was targeted by Anu Bhatt and I think he fell into that temptation. Being an international cricketer and a senior cricketer, I should have taken it one step higher of telling Mervyn that this guy is suspicious.

“I want to apologise to Mervyn Westfield, my Essex team-mates, my Essex cricket club, my Essex cricket fans. I say sorry to Pakistan. If the ECB and ICC and other bodies would give me a second chance I can help to educate young people in cricket, teach them that if you do wrong you are finished like me.”

Kaneria also said that he didn’t plead guilty six years ago as his father, who died of cancer in 2013, was very proud of him for playing the game of cricket. “His health was getting worse and worse. I didn’t have the courage to face him and tell him that I was wrong. He was a very, very proud guy. Very, very proud of me and what I did, representing Pakistan, representing my country,” the leg-spinner concluded.

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