cricket

Updated: Dec 29, 2019 08:37 IST

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq spoke about discrimination claims put forward by former cricketer Danish Kaneria. Inzamam said he never felt any such thing when the two played together for Pakistan. Inzamam’s comments were uploaded on social media in a series of Tweets by a Pakistan journalist. Inzamam’s comment came after former speedster Shoaib Akhtar claimed on country’s national television that some Pakistani cricketers refused to have food with Kaneria, who belonged to the minority Hindu community.

Also Read: ‘Kaneria will say anything for money,’ says Javed Miandad

Inzamam-ul-Haq "The captain who Danish Kaneria played under the most was me and I never felt that there was any such thing in our team, that any player treats another player badly if he is a non-Muslim. I never noticed even a single example of any such thing in our team" #Cricket — Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) December 27, 2019

Inzamam-ul-Haq "I am not ready to accept Danish Kaneria that we have such small hearts, that we would do a thing like this and that we didn't accept someone. I think Pakistanis have big hearts and we can accept everyone in our hearts" #Cricket — Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) December 27, 2019

Inzamam-ul-Haq "When we went on tours like in Sharjah, Indian & Pakistani players would be in the same hotel & I'd often see players sitting in each other's rooms, joking around and eating together. So from both sides, I never saw any such thing of not eating together" #Cricket — Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) December 27, 2019

Inzamam-ul-Haq "Mushtaq Ahmed was a good friend of mine since childhood but I gave Danish Kaneria selection preference because he was Pakistan's future & Mushtaq was dropped in my captaincy. So there was no such thing as players were only picked if they prayed namaz" #Cricket — Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) December 27, 2019

“The captain who Danish Kaneria played under the most was me and I never felt that there was any such thing in our team, that any player treats another player badly if he is a non-Muslim. I never noticed even a single example of any such thing in our team,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by the journalist.

After the revelations, many former and current cricketers spoke about the issue and one such person is former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad. He lashed out at former leg-spinner Kaneria, saying that he can claim anything for money and it is surprising that people are believing a cricketer who has been banned for corruption in cricket.

Also Read: ‘It’s shameful, shows reality of Pakistan,’ Gambhir reacts on Kaneria revelations

“What are they trying to achieve I don’t understand. But if you talk about Kaneria, he will say anything for money and he has no credibility left in cricket,” Miandad told PTI.

“How can you believe someone who is serving a life ban for corruption in cricket? Who let down his country? I was head coach of the Pakistan team in early 2000 and Kaneria was in the team and I don’t remember a single incident where there was ever any issue about his being a Hindu,” he added.

Miandad also stated that Danish Kaneria couldn’t have played for Pakistan if the country had bias towards its minority Hindu community.

Also Read: ‘Get me out of the mess,’ Kaneria seeks support of Pakistan PM Imran Khan

“Pakistan has given him so much recognition and he played for 10 years in Test cricket. Would this have been possible if there was any issue over his religion”.