Life ban for Kaneria

Danish Kaneria has been handed a life ban from cricket for his involvement in the Mervyn Westfield spot-fixing scandal.

The former Pakistan leg-spinner was described by an ECB disciplinary panel as a "grave danger to the game of cricket" and exposed as a link between bookmakers and the players implicated in spot and match-fixing arrangements. Westfield, meanwhile, has been handed a five-year ban after previously serving two months in jail. He was found guilty of agreeing to underperform in a 2009 Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in return for the sum of £6,000. The right-handed batsman could be free to play again in two years, though Kaneria's career looks to have been condemned to the scrap heap, as most of cricket's leading nations are likely to throw their weight behind the ECB's decision. "We regard Danish Kaneria as a grave danger to the game of cricket and we must take every appropriate step to protect our game from his corrupt activities," read the panel's statement. "Accordingly, we are unanimously of the view that the only appropriate sanction in relation to both charges is one of suspension for life and that is the sanction we impose. "This means from today Danish Kaneria is suspended from any involvement in the playing, organisation or administration of any cricket under the jurisdiction of the ECB."