Kaneria and Westfield questioned for spot-fixing allegation

Essex cricketers Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield have been questioned by Essex police in connection with an ongoing investigation into spot-fixing, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, and Westfield, a right-arm seamer, are believed to have appeared at Brentwood police station on Friday. The investigation centres on alleged spot-fixing in Essex's Pro40 match against Durham last September.

Both were questioned under caution and released on bail until September 15, pending further enquiries. However, they can continue to play cricket as they were not charged.

The controversy came to light on April 9, when a short statement confirmed a police investigation had been launched, and Kaneria, who was linked with the reports, immediately denied the claims.

Reacting to these reports, the ICC president David Morgan said the game's governing body is doing its best to keep an eye on illegal activities. "What is very clear is that we are extremely vigilant. We have the anti-corruption and security unit," Morgan said in Barbados. "They look very carefully at movements in terms of the amounts bet on particular issues and so on. I can honestly say to you that I have no knowledge of any spot-fixing that I am refusing to tell you about."

Spot-fixing, which unlike traditional match-fixing (where the end result is the important aspect), is based on betting around small moments within a match, for example how many runs will come off a certain over, or how many no-balls or wides will be sent down.