'He is Characterless, Liar and Manipulator' - Kaneria call Afridi names

Former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria has made a momentous allegation against his former captain Shahid Afridi yet again. Last year, Shoaib Akhtar had also mentioned incidents of mistreatment against Kaneria by the then captain and one of the most celebrated cricketers of his time, Afridi.

The leg-spinner has made grave allegations against the former Pakistan captain, involving a religious angle, and has subsequently asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to lift his ban.

Kaneria, who was banned by the PCB for spot-fixing, has revealed that the former captain had mistreated him because he was a 'Hindu' playing for the Pakistan national team. 

The Karachi-born also thanked Akhtar for backing his claims. He stated that the former pacer is the only person who publicly called out the mistreatment. However, authorities later pressured Akhtar to keep hush on the topic.

The former spinner claimed that Afridi and he used to play in the same department, but the then captain degraded him. He has openly mocked Afridi by calling him - 'characterless', 'liar' and 'manipulator'. 

The 41-year old cricketer also claimed that Afridi would provoke other players against him.

"He didn't want me to be in the team. He was a liar, manipulator… because he's a characterless person. However, my focus was only on cricket, and I used to ignore all these tactics. Shahid Afridi was the only person who would go to other players and provoke them against me. I was performing well, and he was jealous of me. I am proud that I played for Pakistan. I was grateful," Kaneria told IANS.

Pakistan's fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test only played 61 Test matches and 18 ODIs for Pakistan but believes that he could have played many more if not for Afridi's tactics.

The spinner stated that he was never involved in 'spot fixing' and that Afridi's schemes were false and levelled against him.

"I don't understand why I was targeted, but I request the PCB to lift the ban," stated Kaneria. 

"Please lift this ban so I can live peacefully," he pleaded.

In 2012, Kaneria was handed a lifetime ban from cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the grounds of spot-fixing and thus derailed a promising career.