Danish Kaneria admits to spot fixing: I cannot live a life with lies

Tainted Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria finally admits to spot fixing after six years of denial

Danish Kaneria has finally admitted his role in a spot fixing scandal, six years after the offence which saw his Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield imprisoned and the Pakistan spinner issued with a lifetime ban.

Westfield served half of a four-month prison sentence for accepting £6,000 from an illegal bookmaker for an offence in a game with Durham in 2009. It was Kaneria who introduced Westfield to the bookmaker. Westfield was later banned from professional cricket for five years by the England and Wales Cricket Board, who imposed a life ban on Kaneria.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Kaneria said: "My name is Danish Kaneria and I admit that I was guilty of the two charges brought against me by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2012.

"I have become strong enough to make this decision because you cannot live a life with lies. "It's been six years. I lost my friends... respect from the fans. I lost everything." Kaneria, 37, describes the episode as "the biggest mistake of my life... I regret it from the bottom of my heart" and apologised to Westfield, his Essex teammates, the club, Pakistan and cricket supporters around the world.

He also pleaded with the ECB and International Cricket Council (ICC) for his ban to be lifted. "I want to ask for people's forgiveness," he added. "Cricket has given me so much in my life and I want to give something back.

"If the ECB and ICC and other bodies would give me a second chance, I can help educate young people in cricket, teach them that if you do wrong, you are finished,
like me."

Westfield accepts Danish's apology
London: Mervyn Westfield, Essex teammate, accepted the tainted Pakistani cricketer's apology. "This whole chapter of spot fixing changed my life, but I have never blamed anyone for the terrible mistake I made," he told The Daily Mail. "However, opening up about my wrongdoing and telling the truth allowed me to move on. "I hope that Danish finds peace and closure by doing this, and I wish him all the best for the future."

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