Former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria has accused former skipper Shahid Afridi of trying to convert him to Islam forcibly.
Opening up about the alleged discrimination he faced from his teammates during his playing days for being a Pakistani Hindu, Kaneria said that Afridi wanted him to give up Hinduism and convert to Islam. He said that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar were the only two Pakistani players who stood by him.
“Shahid Afridi troubled me a lot during my playing days. Afridi and others would not eat with me. Shahid Afridi tried forcing me to convert to Islam. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar were the only people who supported me,” Kaneria told an interviewer.
Kaneria said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials backed several players who were charged with spot-fixing, but they didn’t support him because of his religion.
“I was charged with spot-fixing during my county stint. I admitted that I only met a bookie and that was it. But they pressured me to accept the charges. The PCB didn’t support me because I was a Hindu. They were scared that if I continued to play, I would break their records,” Kaneria said.
