| Pakistan Test spinner Danish Kaneria has not only been banned for life from all English county by the England and Wales cricket Board (ECB) but has also been fined 100,000 pounds for his role in spot-fixing. If Kaneria's planned appeal against the life ban is unsuccessful he not only faces an end to his cricket career but also has to pay a fine of 100,000 pounds to the ECB. "The fine could be deducted from his funds held up by Essex county once he was questioned in the spot fixing scandal in 2010," one source close to the bowler told PTI. Kaneria, who played 61 Tests, enjoyed an annual contract of 120,000 pounds plus other benefits including a car and house from the county for the years he represented them in county cricket. Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal advisor of the Pakistan cricket Board, who attended the ECB disciplinary hearing as an observer, also said that a heavy fine had been imposed on Kaneria but stopped short of confirming the figure. "It is a heavy fine and one that the ECB has imposed keeping the severity of the offence," Rizvi said. The source also said that the phone that was given to Kaneria by the county as part of his employment deal was shown as evidence in the hearing. "Apparently Kaneria used the phone to send damning text messages and made some calls to the Indian bookmaker Arun Bhatia and he was asked about these contacts by the ECB panel," the source disclosed. "Kaneria said that Bhatia wanted to know about the Hindu temples in England and also Indian restaurants that is why the frequent contacts took place with him," the source said. The source said that the ECB panel had traced back contacts between the two to 2007 and their frequent meetings as well. Although, the PCB is yet to make an official comment on the issue but sources said the leg-spinner's career was over even in Pakistan and a decision in this regard would be announced soon after the ICC meetings in Kuala Lumpur. "Both the Chairman and chief operating officer are in Kuala Lumpur that is why a reaction has been delayed," the source said. "The board sent its lawyer to London for the ECB proceedings to get his own viewpoint and we have now got that and we also have to follow the ICC protocol that is binding on all member countries," one official source said. Kaneria, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence and insisted he had started consultations with his legal team to file an appeal as soon as possible. "This evidence they talk about is all a pack of lies and based on what they have been told by Mervyn Westfield and his lawyer," Kaneria said briefly from London. "I have been a honest man and played my cricket honestly and I will fight back against this ban which is unjust," he added. Kaneria has not been selected to play for Pakistan since September, 2010 and sources say the decision to not clear the leg-spinner for national selection was based on advice given to the PCB by the ECB and even the ICC in this case. |