Mumbai : India’s right arm medium pace bowler Sreesanth told to Apex Court, that he has an offer to play English County and the restrictions imposed by him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are “very harsh”.
He said that he has now been banned for four years and in a sensational 2013 spot-fixing case in 2015, Delhi court has acquitted him.
When the life ban on the cricketer became politician Mohammad Azharuddin, who was accused of joining the 2000 match fixing scandal, it can be reversed, then why can not his life ban imposed by the BCCI be separated? Says Sreesanth.
In the year 2012 Andra Pradesh High Court had termed the life ban imposed by BCCI on former captain Azharuddin as illegal and declared it has unsustainable in law.
The bench of Justice noted that the appeal against 2015 order of trial court is pending before the Delhi high court, were the hearing has been scheduled in the second week of January.
“Cricketer is now 35 years of age and if the ban is not revoked, he will not be able to play club cricket in the United Kingdom for which he has two-three offers” Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid said while he appeared for Sreesanth hearing.
Moving ahead Khurshid also said that Sreesanth has almost done with his international career as he is 32 now, but at least he should be allowed to play club Cricket now.
Senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for BCCI, said that there was incriminating evidence against Sreesanth due to which the apex cricket body imposed ban against him.
However the court adjourned the hearing and said let the Delhi court decide first. In January third week the court will hear the Case.
Sreesanth was banned for life from playing Cricket by the BCCI, for his involvement in spot-fixing in the 2013 IPL season.
On 16 May 2013, the Delhi police arrested Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan from Mumbai, on charges of spot-fixing during IPL 6.
Jiju Janardhan, another key figure accused of spot-fixing, is reported to be Sreesanth’s cousin and an under-22 Gujarat player.
On 17 May 2013, Sreesanth confessed to spot-fixing, according to police. However, Sreesanth has always maintained that he is innocent and that he was forced to sign confession statements.
