Sreesanth to defy BCCI ban and play a club match soon
S Sreesanth is all set to defy the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by playing the first division two-day league match at the Ernakulam Cricket Club on February 19. Earlier, the BCCI had refused to issue an NOC to him to play in the Scotland League.
In May 2013, Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals bowlers - Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila - were arrested for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing case. All three players were later banned for life by the BCCI. Two years later, in 2015, although a Delhi trial court cleared all three of them of all charges due to insufficient evidence under the MCOCA act, the BCCI didn’t lift the ban on the cricketers.
Sreesanth had applied for NOC to play league cricket in Scotland this year, but the BCCI had refused to give him the necessary permission. The Kerala fast bowler is now planning to defy the ban by playing in the first division two-day league match at the Ernakulam Cricket Club on February 19.
Sreesanth, in an interview with Hindustan Times, said, “When there is no official letter stating my life ban then why will the umpires stop me from playing? There have been no emails, courier or anything which states that I am banned from playing cricket. Not even my state or district associations have received any letter with regards to this from the BCCI.”
He added, “All that I have received is a suspension letter when I was in Tihar jail. A suspension letter is valid only for 90 days. The BCCI has announced about my life ban only in the media. There is no official correspondence till date. I was stupid to have not played cricket for this long. It is only now I realised that what the hell I was doing.”
The newspaper has reported that a senior official in the Board stated that the Scottish club could be banned if Sreesanth was allowed to play.
Sreesanth, however, said, “They are excited to see me on the field. Although there is no ban, my lawyers are preparing proper documentation so that there is no confusion on the ground.
“If they stop me from playing, I would want a letter stating about my ban. If that’s not the case, then I will play. Let there be a controversy. They (BCCI) can’t ban my club as there is no letter to state that you can’t play Sreesanth. There is nothing to this effect,” he said.
“If they stop me from playing, I would want a letter stating about my ban. If that’s not the case, then I will play. Let there be a controversy. They (BCCI) can’t ban my club as there is no letter to state that you can’t play Sreesanth. There is nothing to this effect,” he said.
If everything goes accordingly on February 19, Sreesanth will fly to Scotland soon, he said.
“If I get to play on February 19, I will be on the next flight to Scotland for
“The way I have been ill-treated is probably even worse than a terrorist. Those who have been found guilty of corrupt practices have been encouraged to play again by the ICC. Whereas I am not even found guilty but I still have to go through this hell. I want my respect back which I earned through cricket,” said Sreesanth.
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