Danish Kaneria's life ban upheld after former Pakistan spinner's appeal application rejected

Danish Kaneria's(Pakistan) application to appeal his life ban, imposed in June 2012 under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) anti-corruption regulations, has been refused, the governing body has announced.

Danish Kaneria was convicted of 'cajoling and pressurising' former team-mate Mervyn Westfield into accepting cash in return for trying to concede a set number of runs in an over while with Essex.

Mervyn Westfield was sentenced to four months in prison and received a five-year ban from professional cricket for his part in the scandal although Kaneria has repeatedly protested his innocence

ECB chairman Giles Clarke said: 'ECB welcomes today's decision to dismiss the application by Mr Kaneria to appeal the life ban imposed for his corrupt activity. Mr Kaneria acted as a recruiter of potential 'spot-fixers' and used his seniority and international experience to target and corrupt a young and vulnerable player.'

'It is high time that Mr Kaneria came clean about his involvement in these corrupt activities and stopped misleading the Pakistan cricket fans and wider public with his empty protestations of innocence.

'We once again urge him to apologise publicly for his past actions and to start the process of redeeming himself by supporting the Pakistan Cricket Board's anti-corruption initiatives and assisting the police and law enforcement bodies in the Asian sub-continent with the vital job of exposing and cutting off the primary source of cricket corruption.'