I appeal to BCCI because they've the power to do so: Danish Kaneria

Danish Kaneria is undoubtedly one of the most successful spinners from Pakistan. His bowling figures speak for him – 261 wickets from 61 Test matches. “I’d have taken at least 500 if I was still playing”, he says.

At the age of 35, he was banned for life by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his alleged role in spot-fixing in a NatWest Pro40 game between Essex and Durham. Kaneria was a key player of the Essex team.

The leg-spinner has been fighting hard to ‘restore his honour’ and make his comeback but has got only a little help from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC). He is currently in India as a part of a “religious trip”. “I plan to go to the land of my forefathers, Surat too,” Kaneria told TOI during an exclusive interview.

There was some speculation back in Pakistan that he want to move to India for good. “This is such loose talk. I’ve received so much love in Pakistan, it is just that the PCB has discriminated against me. If I wanted to seek asylum here, why would I leave my kids behind in Karachi? I’ve come here with my mother and wife,” he shoots off.

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“I’ve got so much love from India every time I come here. Though I’m not scheduled to meet any BCCI officials, I won’t mind meeting them on this trip. I appeal to the Indian board to help me out because they have the power to do so,” he concludes.

It was his teammate Murray Westfield, who named him as the one who introduced him to Anu Bhatt, an Indian bookie, during an ECB trial in 2012. Westfield was let off as he pleaded guilty.

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