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Inzamam, Afridi refute Kaneria’s claim of religious discrimination

Former cricketer said that all players were treated equally during his captaincy

Inzamam, Afridi refute Kaneria’s claim of religious discrimination PHOTO: AFP

Former Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq has refuted banned leg-spinner Danish Kaneria’s claim of religious discrimination in the Pakistan team during his tenure.

While speaking in a Youtube video, Inzamam said that all players were treated equally in the Pakistan team.

“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,” said Inzamam. “I am not ready to accept that we have such small hearts, that we would do a thing like this and that we didn’t accept someone.”

“When we went on tours like in Sharjah, Indian and Pakistani players would be in the same hotel and I’d often see players sitting in each other’s rooms, joking around and eating together,” he added.

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Inzamam also dispelled the perception about those players being preferred who were religious.

“Mushtaq Ahmed was a good friend of mine since childhood but I gave Danish Kaneria selection preference because he was Pakistan’s future and Mushtaq was dropped in my captaincy,” he said. So there was no such thing as players were only picked if they offered namaz.”

Kaneria’s former teammate and fellow leg-spinner Shahid Afridi also insisted that he never witnessed Kaneria being victimised because of his religion.

“Never heard or came to know of any such thing in my entire association with Danish Kaneria at any level of cricket we played together,” said Afridi.