Tainted India pacer Santhakumaran Sreesanth is a relieved man now as the Kerala High Court, on Monday, August 7, has ordered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to lift the life ban imposed on him over the spot-fixing case of 2013.
God is great..thanks for the all the love and support pic.twitter.com/THyjfbBSFv
— Sreesanth (@sreesanth36) August 7, 2017
Earlier this year, the World Cup-winning pacer approached the Kerala top court with a petition seeking a direction to BCCI to allow him to play for a Scottish club in April after the board denied permission.
Sreesanth, in May 2013, was arrested by Delhi Police on charges of spot fixing during the 2013 Indian Premier League season. The Kerala pacer along with his former Rajasthan Royal team mates was handed life bans by the BCCI.
However, months after Royals and Chennai Super Kings were handed a two-year ban in 2015 over spot fixing and betting scandals, Sreesanth was acquitted by a special court in Delhi.
In the petition to the Kerala High Court, Sreesanth said BCCI was wrong in not lifting his ban even after the trial court dismissed all charges and gave him a clean chit.
BCCI remained stubborn
The BCCI maintained its stand and refused to lift the ban on Sreesanth. A letter was sent to the cricketer in April, in which the governing body's CEO Rahul Johri reportedly stated that the board wanted to ensure discipline is maintained and that there was no need to change its 2013 decision.
Sreesanth always maintained he misses playing cricket, but the India pacer seemed to have moved on when he participated in reality shows and even tried his hand at an acting career.
He even went on to compare his case with that of Pakistan pacer Mohammed Amir, who returned to international cricket after serving a reduced four-year ban.
"Even Mohammad Amir caught guilty, ended up destroying India in the Champions Trophy final against India. A person like him is getting a chance by ICC then why different rules for Sreesanth," the cricketer told NewsX last month.
While the 34-year-old's chances of making a return to international cricket are grim, the Kerala speedster will have the chances of featuring in domestic Twenty20 leagues, including the IPL.
Notably, Sreesanth, during his heydays was a delight to watch. With serious pace and his ability to swing the ball both ways, he managed to pick up 87 wickets in 27 Tests and 75 scalps in 53 ODIs. He also played a crucial role in India's triumph at the inaugural World T20 in 2007.
