Danish Kaneria wouldn't have played 10 years for Pakistan had there been bias, claims Javed Miandad

Shoaib Akhtar had made stunning statements on national television when he told that Danish Kaneria was ill-treated for being a Hindu and that many Pakistan players refused to sit and have food with him because of his religion. Miandad said that nothing of this sort ever happened in the Pakistan dressing room.

"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," Miandad told PTI.

Miandad also claimed that Kaneria played at a time when Imran Tahir still played domestic cricket for Pakistan and yet he was selected over Tahir, with the latter then shifting to South Africa, making it his home for playing international cricket.

"So how is this possible if he ever faced any bias over his being a Hindu," he added.

Miandad, in fact, slammed Kaneria who came out in the open and said that whatever Akhtar spoke was true and said that he is just spreading wrong rumours in order to earn some extra money. Kaneria has been serving a life ban from cricket due to spot-fixing in county cricket and Miandad feels that such a person is not worthy to be trusted. Miandad was the coach of the Pakistan team when Kaneria was playing and he did not find even a single occurrence of the religion-based bias.

"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," stated Miandad.

"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 the early 2000s 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 concluded.