Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on Saturday pleaded innocence in the spot-fixing case which ended in his Essex county team-mate Mervyn Westfield being jailed for four months.
The two players were arrested by Essex police in May 2010 on suspicion of spot-fixing during a county match against Durham in 2009.
Kaneria was released and not charged but Westfield pleaded guilty to spot-fixing charges in January this year, and was sentenced by a London court on Friday, when the Pakistani was named as the middleman in the plot.
"I am completely innocent from day one. All allegations against me are false," Kaneria, 31, told reporters after the first day's play in the domestic Pentangular Cup final in Lahore, where he captained the Sindh provincial team.
At the Old Bailey, Westfield admitted receiving STG6000 ($A8860) to bowl so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of the contest, although in the event, only 10 were conceded.
Prosecutors said the player had been lured into the fix after an approach by Kaneria.
Kaneria claimed he was cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
"The Essex police cleared me and I have clearance certificates from both the ECB and ICC, so I am not feeling any pressure. I am just enjoying my cricket.
"Westfield is a convicted fraudster and admitted liar. In trying to reduce his own guilt, he has tarnished my name."
Kaneria's brother Vinay also released a statement on his brother's behalf, saying Kaneria was released and had not been charged, and had fully co-operated with the investigation.
"In explaining the circumstances of Westfield's case to the court, the Crown Prosecution Service reiterated to the court that after intensive investigations, the British police concluded that there was no evidence on which to charge Kaneria," the statement said.
It "vehemently denied" that Kaneria was involved in Westfield's actions.
"It was quite clear that Westfield would say anything to avoid a custodial sentence. In court, he attempted to portray himself as a naive and vulnerable person who was easily led astray," the statement added.
Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan, is the fourth highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in Tests with 261, the most by any spinner.
But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has blocked him from playing international cricket since October 2010, when its Integrity Committee did not clear him to face South Africa.
He challenged the decision in court but his case was dismissed in November last year.
Earlier on Saturday, the PCB said it would seek evidence from the relevant authorities in Britain before taking any action against Kaneria.
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