Kaneria wants ECB to postpone corruption hearing

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to postpone a disciplinary hearing into corruption charges so that his lawyer has more time to prepare his defence.

"My lawyer has written to the ECB asking for the hearing date to be pushed back from May 1," Kaneria said.

Kaneria has been summoned to the ECB hearing in Britain after being named in a London court in February as a go-between in a spot-fixing scandal that resulted in a four-month prison sentence for his former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield.

Kaneria, who took 261 wickets in 61 tests, was arrested in 2010 along with Westfield on suspicion of spot-fixing during an Essex match against Durham in 2009 before being released without charge.

"My client has pleaded not guilty to all charges and also believes no sanctions should be imposed on him," Kaneria's lawyer Farugh Naseem said.

"We have also asked the ECB for more time to file a detailed reply with the ECB as we need more time to study the evidence."

Kaneria's Essex contract was terminated in 2010 and he has not played for Pakistan since the scandal came to light, appearing several times before the board's integrity committee.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed in London last year after being found guilty on corruption charges relating to the 2010 Lord's test against England.

Westfield, who has also been summoned to the disciplinary hearing with Kaneria, was the first English county cricketer to be convicted in court for spot-fixing.