On this day in 2012: Danish Kaneria given lifetime domestic ban by ECB

County Cricket

Danish Kaneria was banned from English and Welsh domestic cricket for life and described as “a grave danger” to the sport on this day in 2012 following his involvement in a spot-fixing plot.

The Pakistani was found guilty by the England and Wales Cricket Board 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.

“We regard Danish Kaneria as a grave danger to the game of cricket and we must take every appropriate step to protect our game from his corrupt activities,” the ECB’s disciplinary panel said in a statement.

Cricket – Tour Match – Leicester v Pakistan – Grace Road
Danish Kaneria, who joined Essex in 2004, made subsequent appeals against his lifetime ban, but all were dismissed (David Davies/PA)

The panel found Kaneria guilty on two charges – of knowingly inducing and encouraging Westfield not to perform on his own merits in the Pro 40 match against Durham in 2009, and of bringing the game into disrepute.

It concluded that Kaneria acted as a recruiter for Anu Bhatt, who was described in the ECB’s summary as “an Indian businessman who, prior to November 2007, had come to the notice of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the International Cricket Council as allegedly being heavily involved in illegal betting”.

Kaneria, who played 61 Tests and remains Pakistan’s fourth-highest Test wicket-taker, put pressure on Westfield “well knowing that he was young and vulnerable” to concede a minimum of 12 runs in his first over at Chester-le-Street in return for GBP 6,000, according to the panel, which also described the evidence given by Kaneria during the four-day hearing in London as “plainly lies”.

He made subsequent appeals against his lifetime ban, but all were dismissed.

Danish Kaneria

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