Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria claimed that Shahid Afridi had asked him to convert many times during his playing days. The 44-year-old speaking on the sidelines of a congressional briefing on the plight of minorities in Pakistan in Washington DC opened up about it.
“We all gathered here and shared our experiences of how we were treated in Pakistan. We have faced discrimination, and today, we raised our voices against it,” Kaneria was quoted by ANI. Shahid Afridi was the main person telling me to convert, and he did a lot of times. Inzamam-ul-Haq never used to talk that way,”
“I, too, have faced a lot of discrimination, and my career was destroyed. I did not receive the respect and equal value I deserved in Pakistan. Because of this discrimination, I am in the US today. We spoke to raise awareness and let the USA know how much we have suffered so that action can be taken,” Kaneria added.
Earlier an interview with Aaj Tak Kaneria would also shed some positive light on Inzamam-ul-Haq. Kaneria would reveal that Inazamam was the only captain who had supported and backed him.
“I was doing well in my career and was playing county cricket too. Inzamam-ul-Haq supported me a lot and was the only captain who did so. Alongside him, Shoaib Akhtar. Shahid Afridi and many other Pakistan players troubled me a lot and didn’t eat with me,” Kaneria said.
The leg-spinner played 61 Test matches for Pakistan picking up 261 wickets at an average economy rate of 3.07 in red-ball cricket. However, in 2012 Kaneria was proven guilty of spot-fixing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and was slapped life ban for it.
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