Essex coach Grayson denied being approached by Kaneria

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Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif today released Essex coach Paul Grayson and player Tom Westley's statements, in which they have denied that disgraced Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria ever approached them to indulge in spot fixing.The statements of Grayson and Westley were part of the disciplinary proceedings instituted against Kaneria by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last year that led to his life ban from playing cricket in the United Kingdom.The ECB disciplinary panel, in its ruling, had said that Kaneria was a grave danger to cricket and had tried to influence Essex players to do spot fixing and set them up with alleged Indian bookmaker Arun Bhatt.But in the statements released, Latif, in his ongoing campaign to prove Kaneria's innocence, insisted that Grayson and Westley only have good words to say about the Pakistani bowler."Danish was a player who on the pitch was very influential and performed well for Essex. His performances for Essex have earned him the respect of all the players and coaches and for some be an inspiration," Grayson, who took over from Graham Gooch in 2007 as Essex's head coach, had said in his statement."I feel Danish loves the game and bowling. He was an approachable person and definitely enjoyed the social side of the team. Danish had a wonderful rapport with some of the lads in the team and I understand they often socialised with each other off the field."During his time at Essex, Danish has never been reprimanded nor has he had to be disciplined for any disruptive behaviour," Grayson added.