London
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has admitted his role in a spot-fixing case involving former Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield on Thursday, more than six years after he was banned by the England and Wales Cricket Board .

Westfield was jailed for four months after pleading guilty to accepting a payment to concede a set number of runs off an over in a 40-overs English county match against Durham in 2009. Kaneria, who had repeatedly denied any involvement in trying to engineer particular situations in a game, was banned for life by the ECB in June 2012 for “cajoling and pressurising” Westfield into accepting money.

“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,” the 37-year-old said. “I have become strong enough to make this decision, because you cannot live a life with lies,” he added. “I want to apologise to Mervyn Westfield, my Essex teammates, my Essex cricket club, my Essex cricket fans. I say sorry to Pakistan,” Kaneria added.

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