Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has claimed that his career was ruined due to discrimination. Speaking at a Congressional briefing in Washington, he highlighted the challenges faced by minorities in Pakistan.
Kaneria stated that he, along with others, shared their experiences of mistreatment in Pakistan and raised their voices against discrimination. He emphasized that he was never given the respect and recognition he deserved, which ultimately led him to move to the United States.
He also alleged that former teammate Shahid Afridi repeatedly pressured him to convert to Islam. Kaneria revealed that while some players, like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar, supported him, others, including Afridi, made things difficult for him and even avoided eating with him.
Speaking to ANI, Kaneria said, “I, too, have faced a lot of discrimination, and my career was destroyed. I did not receive the respect and equal value I deserved in Pakistan. Because of this discrimination, I am in the US today. We spoke to raise awareness and let the USA know how much we have suffered so that action can be taken.”
He added, “I was doing well in my career and was playing county cricket too. Inzamam-ul-Haq supported me a lot and was the only captain who did so. Alongside him, Shoaib Akhtar. Shahid Afridi and many other Pakistan players troubled me a lot and didn’t eat with me. Shahid Afridi was the main person telling me to convert, and he did a lot of times. Inzamam-ul-Haq never used to talk that way.”
Danish Kaneria’s career
Kaneria, who played 61 Test matches for Pakistan, is only the second Hindu cricketer to represent the national team. He took 261 wickets at 34.79. He also represented Pakistan in 18 ODIs, taking 15 wickets at 45.53. He still remains the highest wicket-taking spinner for Pakistan in Tests, and fourth in the all-time list behind Wasim Akram (414), Waqar Younis (373) and Imran Khan (362).
However, his career got derailed after he was banned for life from all cricket by the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2012 on two charges of spot-fixing in the English County Championship pro-league matches in 2009.
