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With the aftershocks on the 2010 spot-fixing scandal still lingering around Pakistan, the team has had to face yet another embarrassment.
In the latest development, jailed English county cricketer Mervyn Westfield has named Pakistani Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria as an alleged ‘corrupter’.
Westfield, Danish’s teammate at Essex, was handed over a four-month jail sentence after his admission to accept a payment to under perform in 2009.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, while expressing his displeasure over the development, feared a life ban for the leg-spinner. He also urged Kaneria to put up a fight to clear his name.
“It is disappointing to say the least. But even after Westfield’s claim nothing can be said about Kaneria with certainty. However, in view of the strict ICC parameters, the rest of his career is in serious doubt now,” Latif said.
“In case of a fresh inquiry, Kaneria should get to the bottom of this matter”, added Latif, who was the original whistle-blower on the match-fixing menace in the 90s.
Meanwhile, another known voice against corruption in the game, Sarfaraz Nawaz had an entirely different reading to the situation.
According to the former fast bowler the latest twists in the Westfield case were ambiguous.
“Westfield could have gone to jail for 5 to 10 years, therefore Kaneria was dragged in the case probably deliberately,” maintained Sarfaraz Nawaz.
“After getting clearance from both the Essex police and the ICC, the resurfacing of Danish Kaneria’s name in the case is fishy,” Nawaz concluded.
Westfield and Kaneria were questioned by the police after a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009.
Kaneria was, however, cleared by the police the following year.
*With files from Muhammad Asif Khan
