An English cricketer who claimed to have been lured into a spot-fixing scandal by Pakistan international Danish Kaneria has been jailed for four months.

Former Essex player Mervyn Westfield had admitted receiving STG6000 ($A8850) to bowl badly so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of a 40-over match between Durham and Essex in September 2009.

The Old Bailey heard on Friday that Kaneria told Westfield he would be paid to concede a certain number of runs in a particular over.

Prosecutor Nigel Peters QC said the deal emerged after another Essex player, Tony Palladino, showed Westfield “the most money he had ever seen”.

Kaneria was arrested in connection with the case in 2010 but later released without charge.

This case took place against the backdrop of Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed in Britain last year for their role in a separate spot-fixing scandal in a Test match against England.

Kaneria’s lawyer Farogh Naseem brushed aside Westfield’s claims.

“I think we can only take any step once the inquiry is finished,” Naseem told AFP in Karachi on Friday.

“It is Westfield’s words against Kaneria and a lot will depend on what evidences he puts before the court against my client.”

Naseem reiterated that Kaneria had been cleared by the police.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) withdrew Kaneria after he was selected for the series against South Africa in October 2010 and has since not cleared him for selection, apparently waiting for the Westfield inquiry to be completed.

Kaneria’s petition against the PCB to revive his career was dismissed by the Sindh High court in November last year and despite vowing to take the case to higher courts, Kaneria has not made any progress.

Kaneria has been playing domestic cricket.