Danish Kaneria of Pakistan on the second day of their first NPower Test cricket match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 30, 2010. Kaneria said Wednesday he has filed an appeal in a London court against his life ban for spot-fixing, vowing to fight on to clear his name. (AFP/File)
KARACHI (AFP) – Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria said Wednesday he has filed an appeal in a London court against his life ban for spot-fixing, vowing to fight on to clear his name.
The 32-year-old was barred for life last year after an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) disciplinary panel found him guilty of spot-fixing in a 2009 county match.
Kaneria was banned for luring his Essex county team-mate Mervyn Westfield into conceding a set number of runs for money in a pre-arranged deal.
His appeal against the penalty and an attempt to have it reduced were both rejected earlier this year.
"Through my lawyer in England I have filed an appeal in the Commercial Court as my fight against the ban will go on until I am proven innocent," Kaneria told AFP.
The ban effectively prevents him from playing any international or domestic cricket worldwide as boards under International Cricket Council (ICC) jurisdiction have agreed to uphold punishments imposed by individual countries in such circumstances.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, famous for blowing the whistle on team-mates' involvement in match-fixing in 1994, demanded an independent inquiry.
"I think there should be an independent inquiry, either by the high court or by the International Cricket Council," he told AFP.
Westfield was banned for five years and also jailed for four months in 2012 by a British court.
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