Kaneria was banned for life by an ECB disciplinary panel in June 2012 after he was found guilty of corruption. Kaneria subsequently lost his appeal against the decision in April of this year. The current appeal is to contest the length of the ban and the costs of £100,000 that he is required to pay. Kaneria will not be present but will be represented by lawyers.
Westfield was jailed for four months in February 2012 after pleading guilty to a charge of accepting or obtaining corrupt payments. He admitted agreeing to concede a set number of runs from an over in a 2009 Pro40 match for Essex against Durham and named Kaneria, who is Pakistan’s most successful spinner in Tests, as the facilitator. Kaneria has continued to dispute his involvement in the episode.
As well as serving time in prison, Westfield was given a five-year suspension from the game, although he can play club cricket after three. He has, however, complained about his lack of support and initially refused to appear as a witness for the ECB at Kaneria’s appeal.
Westfield’s absence could have undermined the ECB’s case – with Kaneria’s legal team threatening to pursue damages – and he was eventually forced to comply after a high-court order. It is believed Westfield is requesting some leniency with a view to returning to club cricket early and arguing that his decision to plead guilty in the original court case should be taken into account.
Because of an agreement between boards affiliated to the ICC, the ECB ban applied to Kaneria is effective throughout world cricket.
