Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has been embroiled in a Twitter spat with former teammate Faisal Iqbal after Kaneria initially claimed that had he been offered supported more by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), he’d have “broken many big records”.
On Sunday, Kaneria responded on Twitter to a story told by his former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq. According to Inzamam, in the 2006 Multan Test between Pakistan and West Indies, Kaneria supposedly said “well played, Brian” to Lara after the left-hander successfully defended a googly. Lara replied to Kaneria, laughing and saying, “OK, sir.” Lara then took the attack to Kaneria, and would go on to finish his innings on 216 after Inzamam had encouraged Kaneria to sledge the West Indian batter.
I have taken @BrianLara’s wicket 5 times in my career. He was a good cricketer. If PCB had supported me, I would have broken many big records. @Inzamam08 https://t.co/RJHb3xR1r7
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) April 12, 2020
In a tweet, Kaneria said: “I have taken @BrianLara’s wicket 5 times in my career. He was a good cricketer. If PCB had supported me, I would have broken many big records. @Inzamam08.” Iqbal, a teammate of Kaneria in 18 Tests, replied with a video of the incident Inzamam had previously described and a comment that suggested Kaneria was “scared” of Lara.
I still remember this match as a 12man 🇵🇰 and was just watching the sixes going in the stands 🙈 in his 200 double hundred… defiantly a dumb ass sledge 🙄 by Kaneria to the king @BrianLara and than later Kaneria himself got scared 💨🤣 https://t.co/rUYVxZkqoH
— Faisal Iqbal🇵🇰🏏فیصل اقبال (@FaisalIqbalCric) April 13, 2020
This prompted a public back-and-forth between the two retired internationals, in which Iqbal described Kaneria as a “fixer and a liar” who tried to “gain a FAKE sympathy by playing Religion card 24/7”.
I never sold my country for money. I am proud to be a Pakistani 🇵🇰. There are people who have sold their country and who are still welcomed in the team. Will you speak about them? And everyone knows how you have played cricket.
Attention seeker 😏 https://t.co/v2Kmh9BNrj
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) April 15, 2020
Kaneria was the second Hindu to play Test cricket for Pakistan and remains their fourth-highest wicket-taker in the format. He was banned for life from the game by the ECB for his involvement in a 2009 spot-fixing scandal that took place during his time as an overseas player at Essex. In a 2018 Al Jazeera documentary, Kaneria admitted his guilt in the affair.
He said: “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. I want to apologise to Mervyn Westfield [who was given a four-month prison sentence for his involvement], my Essex team-mates, my Essex cricket club, my Essex cricket fans. I say sorry to Pakistan.”