ECB And ICC Back Decision To Ban Danish Kaneria

The International Cricket Council (ICC) as well as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has backed the ECB Disciplinary Panel's decison to hand Danish Kaneria a lifetime ban.

Kaneria has been banned from any involvement in cricket under the auspices of the ECB after he was found guilty of corruption, and former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield was handed a five-year ban.

"The ICC has been closely following the case and notes the outcomes of the ECB’s disciplinary process, including the sanctions imposed on both players," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

"While not wishing to comment on the specifics of the case because it is a domestic matter, I can say that the ICC takes no pleasure from players being found guilty of corrupt behaviour and we hope that this verdict provides further warning to any person who might, for whatever reason, contemplate corrupt activity within our sport.

"I reiterate, as I have on every occasion that I have spoken on this matter, that the ICC has a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and that we and our Member Boards will use everything within our powers to ensure that any hint of corrupt activity within the game is comprehensively investigated and, where appropriate, robustly prosecuted.

"To that end, the ICC Board had instructed all Member Boards to implement domestic Anti-Corruption codes which mirror that of the ICC and the fact that the ECB has a code and through their ACCESS Unit empowered themselves to investigate and successfully prosecute this case, is to be commended."

A statement from the ECB shortly after the Panel made its decision, added:

"ECB welcomes today’s decisions by the Disciplinary Panel following the hearing held in London. This sends a very clear message to everyone involved in the sport that corrupt activities will not be tolerated and those individuals who are alleged to have breached the ECB’s anti-corruption regulations will be fully investigated and where appropriate made subject to the full ECB disciplinary process.

"ECB will continue to support the need for strong deterrents to protect the integrity of the sport and is committed to continuing to work closely with the PCA to educate players about the dangers posed by illegal gambling and the potentially significant adverse consequences to their cricket careers of involvement in any form of corrupt activity.

"ECB will not, however, make any further comment on this case pending any potential appeal by either or both of the defendants."

© Cricket World 2012