By Muhammad Asif Khan
Karachi:
At the time when aftershocks of the massive jolt resulted by the infamous 2010
spot-fixing scandal were still being felt, a whole new episode unfolded to
scratch the unhealed wound of the Pakistan cricket fans. In the
latest development Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has been dubbed as the
corrupter by the court in London where his former Essex County mate Mervyn
Westfield was handed over a four-month jail sentence after his admission to
accept payment to under perform in 2009 on the behest of Kaneria.
However the 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”, said Latif while
talking to this correspondent.
“In case of a fresh inquiry,
Kaneria should get to the bottom of this matter”, added Latif, who was the
original whistleblower 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 last-day twists
in the 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”, concludes Sarfaraz Nawaz
Westfield
and Kaneria were questioned by the police after the Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009.
Danish Kaneria was however cleared by the police in the following year.
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