Danish Kaneria, a former Pakistani cricketer, said at a meeting in Pakistan that he experienced discrimination there. He was there to talk about problems minorities face in the country and how it ruined his career.
Kaneria, who is Hindu, said he wasn’t valued or respected as much as other cricketers in Pakistan.
He spoke at a Congressional Briefing on Wednesday about the situation of minorities in Pakistan.
Kaneria told ANI, We all gathered today to share how we faced discrimination and speak out. I also faced discrimination in Pakistan, and it destroyed my career. I didn’t get equal treatment and respect there.
He added, Everyone here spoke out against how Pakistan treats them badly. The main goal was to make people, especially in the US, aware of the suffering and problems in Pakistan and to take action.
Kaneria played 61 Tests and is only the second Hindu to play for the team, after his cousin Anil Dalpat, a former wicketkeeper.
Kaneria has been a controversial figure for much of his career. The England Cricket Board banned him for life after he was accused of spot-fixing, which meant he couldn’t play in games under their control.
His appeal against the ban was turned down in July 2013. Ten years ago, the England Cricket Board tried to get £250,000 (over Rs 2 crore) from him with help from Pakistani officials.
Kaneria played 18 ODIs and took 15 wickets, with his best being 3/31 against New Zealand in the Bank Alfalah Cup in 2003.
In Tests, Kaneria’s best bowling in one innings was 7/77, and his best in a whole game was 12/94, both against Bangladesh.
Kaneria took five or more wickets in an innings 15 times in Tests, getting six wickets three times and seven wickets four times.
Twice, he took 10 or more wickets in a game, once against Bangladesh and once against Sri Lanka. He played 206 first-class games, 167 List A games, and 65 T20s in his career.
