Exclusive: Danish Kaneria on ‘traumatic’ match-fixing revelations and Mohammad Amir’s ‘retirement’

When Danish Kaneria stepped out on the cricket field for Pakistan in 2000, he already created history before a ball was bowled. Kaneria became the second Hindu player after Anil Dalpat in the 1950s to play for Pakistan. Incidentally, Dalpat is Kaneria’s cousin. His records in his 10-year playing career put him in an elite list. In 61 Tests, he took 261 wickets at an average of 34. In fact, Kaneria has the most wickets for a spinner from Pakistan. After Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan, Kaneria is fourth in the list of all-time wicket-takers from Pakistan.

Kaneria’s best years were from 2004 to 2007. In that four-year period, the legspinner took a total of 151 wickets. His bowling in Sydney 2004, when Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist were tearing the Pakistan attack to shreds, got praise even from Shane Warne. In that game, Kaneria took a seven-wicket haul and showed his prowess. Over half of his Test wickets were taken away from home and it involved successful spells in Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies and India.

However, in 2010, his career came crashing down. When spot-fixing allegations surfaced, he was banned for life by the ECB after being found guilty of corruption. In 2018, Kaneria apologized for his actions and expressed remorse for the incident. However, in an exclusive interaction with sportslumo.com, Kaneria has opened up on the helplessness in the 2018 ‘revelations’ which he made to an international TV channel. The legspinner also criticised the decision of Mohammad Amir to retire, stating that he had let down the Pakistan Cricket Board and fans after backing him.

Here are the excerpts from the exclusive chat with Kaneria.

Q.) What was going through your mind when you decided to reveal your role in the spot-fixing scandal in 2018?

Kaneria: I was helpless. I had no options left. From 2012 to 2018, I was knocking on so many doors for my comeback. I requested the Pakistan Cricket Board. No one listened to me. Najam Sethi and Ijaz Butt, who was the chairman of the PCB at that time, did not pursue my case. I had served Pakistan cricket for 10 years. I requested them to help me out. But, they had closed their eyes. When the investigation happened, the police had given me a clean chit. I did not go to jail. I fought for a thing where I was not guilty. There was no hard and soft evidence against me.

My UK lawyers team came to Pakistan and tried to meet with the PCB officials and explain the situation. But, they didn’t meet or talk with them. When the lawyers gave a press conference in Karachi, the media totally misinterpreted it. I tried everywhere. I wrote to the ICC. They said, ‘no individual can personally come. If the cricket board comes forward, they will consider.’ PCB flatly refused. Since it was England, I approached an International TV channel. It was the sheer helplessness that forced me to do it. I did not fix matches neither did I take money. I was not involved in match-fixing, spot-fixing or any other forms of corruption.

Q.) How hard it has been for you in the last 11 years?

Kaneria: There has been no monetary help at all. I even requested the Pakistan honorable ministers to look into my case. But, I did not get a positive reply. I requested Sethi, Ehsan Mani to look at my matter but they simply refused. I decided to say sorry but everybody at that time chose to stay silent. I am only requesting the PCB to clear my name and am also requesting the PCB to approach the ECB to lift the ban for my livelihood. By this, I can at least earn for my kids and family. My older brother is supporting me. I cannot set an academy because of the ban.

Q.) In these tough times, how have you managed to pull yourself through?

Kaneria: I am an ardent devotee of Goddess Jagdamba. I believe in the words of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita when he said, “Work hard, do not worry about the fruits of success.” Whatever be the situation, I have total belief in god. The strength of our Hindu religion is such that we have been told to never bow down. We should live life with our heads held high. If I look at my struggles, it is little. There are people outside who are facing even bigger struggles. I get motivated by it. Today it has happened to me.

Q.) Is there a theory that you have not been given a hearing primarily because you belong to the minority community in Pakistan?

Kaneria: After doing everything, I begged everybody and said sorry. I was on my knees. We see PCB as a parent board. Players make mistakes. It has been 11 years and I am away from cricket. Bans have been lifted but in my case, it has not been done. I don’t know why the PCB considers me the ‘bad guy’. For other players, there is a different behavior. For me, it is different. Since I belong to the minority Hindu community!? Maybe, I don’t know. The only regret is when I played for 10 years, there has been no minority player who has been able to represent Pakistan after me. If I could do anything for the community, I cannot do it now. They have cut my hands and legs. How can I help upcoming talent?

Q.) What are the instances of different treatment that you have talking about?

Kaneria: The other players were banned, apologised and they are back in the fold. The recent case is Sharjeel Khan. I am even ready for rehabilitation. At least let me do something. There is ego. Maybe, there is a personal vendetta. People said you did not complain for 10 years when you played for Pakistan. But, now, people are saying, ‘Why are you companing and playing religion card?’ I just wanted to say that I have never played religion card. It is because of the shabby treatment that I am getting. This is why I am hurt. I played my cricket quietly. People were flabbergasted when I got a County record for a high sum.

When I performed for 10 years, I had good performances. I at least had the numbers to show. People who have just played one or two good series are being persisted with. The classic case is Yasir Shah. He has been performing only in the UAE but nowhere else.

Q.) You have been critical of the actions of Mohammad Amir following his decision to change nationality and play IPL. Why is that?

Kaneria: Mohammad Amir shamed the country when he indulged in spot-fixing. But, PCB’s blue-eyed boy was still Amir. Salman Butt also did not get that treatment. Neither did Mohammad Asif. Amir said that he wanted to retire because Misbah ul Haq and Waqar Younis were in the management. Firstly, Amir needs to think that the investment that the PCB did, no board has ever done so much for any other player. Amir was the favorite of Najam Sethi. They had to modify the rules so that Amir could go to England. If you were jailed in the UK, you cannot travel to the country for 7-10 years. The ICC, ECB and PCB negotiated to modify the immigration laws and allow Amir to play. His image all over the world and Pakistan cricket was changed. At that time, Misbah was at the helm.

These were the same people who backed Amir and now he is talking bad about them. No one wanted to work with him. But, the PCB invested heavily in him. Today, Amir has given them a good gift and that is a slap on their face. He has decided to play in a different country. Playing IPL and any league is a different issue altogether. He has set a trend. The trend that he has set is if you get dropped from the national team on performance basis, you will leave the country and play somewhere else. The amount of help that the PCB has offered him, he should stay silent. He has set a bad example for youngsters.

Q.) Both Pakistan Super League and Indian Premier League were impacted by the coronavirus. According to you, what went wrong for both tournaments?

Kaneria: In the PSL, the SOPs were not followed in the hotel. The officials were going out and having dinner in restaurants. Even the players were going out and meeting the people outside of the bio-bubble. The SOPs were not being followed.

In the IPL, the players were also in the bio-secure bubble. Varun Chakravarthy had to gone out of the bubble to go to the hospital for a scan on his shoulder. The coronavirus situation in most of the hospitals in the cities in India was very critical. Once, he got the virus, it spread to the inside of the bubble. The situation in the PSL had seen many players become COVID-19 positive. In India, there were about 3-4 players who became positive and they decided to postpone it.

Q.) Do you think the IPL should have been played at a time when the coronavirus was at its peak in India?

Kaneria: When it came to the situation in India, it would have been better had the tournament not been held at that time. But, there is another side. When we saw what happened last year, there was a lockdown. The players were in their homes. Life needs to move on. Yes, coronavirus is there and it is dangerous. How much is the life of the sportsmen? It is a limited career. If we say that you cannot play, his career gets shortened. His physical fitness and mental health suffers. There are a lot of things in a sportsmen’s career.

When you see news and social media, your mental health is screwed. If you see entertainment in sporting activities, your mind is fresh. You can’t let kids go out. Businessmen have also suffered. Housewives are also having tremendous pressure. There should be a gap for entertainment. If you stop cricket for a very long time, there will be huge financial losses for the Boards, teams and the players.

Q.) Heading into the ICC World Test Championship, what are the problem areas for India and does New Zealand have the edge?

Kaneria: The match is happening in June. The County season begins in April. In June, the wickets get baked. When the season begins, there is hardness and moisture. When the sun shines, the moisture gets evaporated. The spinners get plenty of success at that time. India have two problems in the middle order and the absence of a leg spinner. Legspinner is important in England soil. The Duke Ball seam is thicker. I had spoken about Rahul Chahar.

In the recent series, the pitches were on black soil and the wickets deteriorate. It can assist finger spinners. When the wicket seams all day, a leg spinner has a huge role. Finger spinners cannot get that much purchase from the wicket. There are Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. New Zealand have Ish Sodhi and he is a tall leg spinner. Kohli has struggled against leg spinner, especially against Adam Zampa and Adil Rashid. The middle order has not been consistent. They have not scored big runs. The toss will play a crucial role. The new ball will not get wickets but the old ball will. If you have someone like James Anderson, only then you will get wickets with the new ball.