Karachi: The latest case of the spot-fixing in the English county circuit, where Essex fast bowler Mervin Westfield pleaded guilty of spot-fixing, is a reminder of the 2010 episode after which three Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir not only banned, but later were jailed as well.
The fate of Westfield would decide on February 10, but former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif feared that leg-spinner Kaneria would be further dragged in the case.
“I have a strong feeling that they would allege it was Kaneria who corrupted Westfield, as it was said in the case of Muhammad Amir during the eye-catching probe against three Pakistani cricketers”, said Latif while talking to this correspondent
“I don’t think Kaneria would be sentenced but even though he may be suspected of having had a role, which would be enough to ruin his career”, added Latif who is considered as the whistle blower on match-fixing in the mid 90s.
Mervyn Westfield, the former Essex bowler, has become the first English cricketer to be convicted of spot-fixing after pleading guilty at the Old Bailey, London’s central criminal court, to criminal charges arising from a spot-fixing investigation by Essex police. He pleaded guilty of accepting £6000 to concede 12 runs in his first over of Essex’s Pro40 encounter against Durham in September 2009. Westfield could face a maximum jail term of seven years.
Although Westfield’s teammate, Danish Kaneria was also originally alleged to have been involved, but was later released by the Essex police after thorough questioning in May 2010. The police did not find enough evidence to prosecute Kaneria and released him from his bail conditions with “no further action”.
Rashid Latif said that, on the face of it, the evidence against Kaneria is inconclusive however it seems adequate to put a considerable doubt on his future as cricketer. “In a court of law a considerable amount of evidence is required to sentence a person, but even a slight bit of doubt is enough in the eyes of the ICC to put breaks on a cricketer’s career.”, claimed Latif
“Nothing has been proven against Kamran Akmal, yet he has been out-of-favour, I have similar doubts in Kaneria’s case too”, concludes Latif.
Last year Kaneria even filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the PCB’s refusal to clear him to play international cricket, but the PCB’s consul said the leg-spinner could not be considered for selection unless he produces the documents and material related to his questioning by the police. The court later dismissed the petition on technical grounds and advised Kaneria to file the petition in the Lahore High court which the leg-spinner has not done as yet.
The PCB’s council has said that doubts would remain on Kaneria until the court proceedings against Westfield would not come to a conclusion.
The 31-year-old spinner, who made his test debut in 2000, has claimed 261 wickets, the most by a Pakistani spinner in 61 appearances. The lanky leg-spinner played the last test match for Pakistan in August 2010.
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