Pak leggie Kaneria challenges ECB charges in spot-fixing scandal

Islamabad, May 2(ANI): Pakistan leg spinner has challenged the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) charges through his legal representative Farogh Nasim.

The ECB sought Kaneria for the hearing after he was named in a London court as a mediator in the spot-fixing scandal, following which his former Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield was given a four-month sentence.

Kaneria was detained in 2010 along with Westfield on doubts of spot fixing during an Essex match against Durham in 2009 but was released without charge.

Kaneria's lawyer Nasim has raised various objections against the ECB's charges.

"I have raised a number of points against the charges," The Express Tribune quoted Nasim, as saying.

"The ECB has been told that levelling charges without any concrete evidence is foul play. I've also mentioned that the code on which the charges have been levelled is not applicable," he added.

Nasim made it clear that his client, Kaneria had no intentions of giving the hearing a skip, as they were ready to defend the charges during the hearing.

Nasim also raised another point that the duration of the hearing should be longer, and a one-day long hearing won't be good enough.

"We will definitely go to defend the charges. But we've asked the ECB to arrange one sitting for at least four to five days. The long hearing will help both parties to explain their case. Holding a hearing for just a day or calling it after long gaps will not serve the purpose," Nasim said.

"We will go well prepared and hopefully we will defend our case," he added. (ANI)

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