Kaneria’s India visit sparks rumours

Karachi, May 31 

Mystery surrounds the sudden departure of Pakistan’s banned Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and his family to India. Kaneria flew out to India on Sunday night with his wife, children and mother, sparking rumours that he had left Pakistan to settle down in India. “My family is in India to perform some religious rituals which will take around 10 days. Our return dates are not confirmed as yet,” Kaneria said.

Speculations have been rife over the purpose of the visit as Kaneria had, earlier this year, reportedly said that he would have got more justice in India. Fed up with the non-cooperation of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Kaneria caused an uproar in the Pakistani cricket circles when he said that his case would have been handled differently by PCB if he had not been a Hindu. 

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The leg-spinner, who appeared in 61 Tests for Pakistan, was banned in 2012 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for life for spot-fixing and has since lost two appeals to have the ban overturned. He is facing another case in the Sindh High Court, where ECB has filed a petition for the recovery of fines and costs of the case totalling over £200,000.

In his letters sent to Pakistan’s PM and other government ministers, Kaneria has pleaded his case on humanitarian grounds. According to Kaneria’s earlier statements, his involvement is yet to be proven in a court of law, but PCB and ECB have maintained their life ban on him, thus preventing him from earning a livelihood. — PTI