English cricketer jailed over spot-fixing scam

London: An English cricketer who claimed to have been lured into a spot-fixing scandal by Pakistan international Danish Kaneria was on Friday jailed for four months.

Former Essex player Mervyn Westfield had admitted receiving ?6,000 (USD 9,200) to bowl badly so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of a 40-over match between Durham and Essex in September 2009. Westfield was ordered to serve half the four-month term behind bars while he was also hit with a confiscation order for Euro 6,000 during today`s sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey. Prosecutors had earlier told the court that Westfield, 23, became embroiled in the scam after an approach by Kaneria. Prosecutor Nigel Peters QC said the deal emerged after another Essex player, Tony Palladino, showed Westfield "the most money he had ever seen". Kaneria was arrested in connection with the case in 2010 but later released without charge. Before Friday`s hearing, the identity of the player who had made the initial approach to Westfield had not been disclosed. Speaking in Karachi, Kaneria`s lawyer Farogh Naseem dismissed Westfield`s claims. "It is Westfield`s words against Kaneria and a lot will depend on what evidences he puts before the court against my client," said Naseem. Naseem reiterated that Kaneria had not been charged by the police. "At the time of the police inquiry, Kaneria was not charged and cleared. The ICC (International Cricket Council) cleared him so we feel that Kaneria was discharged in the case," he said. PTI