Will play for another country if not India, says Seesanth after life ban
NEW DELHI/ KOCHI : Having hit back at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after his life ban was restored, former India pacer S Sreesanth pacer revealed that he is considering relocating to another nation if his ban does not get lifted anytime soon.Sreesanth was banned for life after being involved in an Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal back in 2013. However, in September 2017, things took a turn as the Kerala High court requested the cricket body to lift the ban.
The bowler was given hopes of getting back to cricket, but considering the appeal filed by the BCCI, the High court restored the ban a month later.“I have been banned by the BCCI but not by the ICC (International Cricket Council). If not for India, I would like to play for another country as I am 34 years old now and I can go on only for another six years. For someone who loves cricket, I just want to play.”
Previously, Sreesanth made an attempt to play in the Scottish League but wasn’t given the nod by BCCI. But he is still pinned on hopes regarding representing his state in the Ranji Trophy. “BCCI is a private firm. It is only us who say that this is the Indian team, but you know BCCI is a private body after all. So, if I play for any other country, it probably may be the same. Yes, representing Kerala in Ranji Trophy is different. I had hoped to win Ranji Trophy, Irani for Kerala, but the decision rests up on the BCCI,” the 2011 ICC World Cup winner said.
“BCCI has imposed the ban, not ICC. If not India, I can play for any other country, because am 34 now and I can only play for maximum six more years. As a person who loves cricket, I want to play cricket. And not only that, BCCI is a private firm; it is only us who say that this is the Indian team, but you know BCCI is a private body after all.
“So, if I play for any other country, it probably may be the same. Yes, representing Kerala in Ranji Trophy is different. I had hoped to win Ranji Trophy, Irani for Kerala, but the decision rests upon the BCCI,” Sreesanth said. In August, a single bench of the court had quashed the BCCI’s ban on Sreesanth. It observed that “no material or evidence before the disciplinary committee to conclude that Sreesanth was guilty of a violation of the anti-corruption code formulated by the BCCI”.
But, while restoring the ban earlier this week, the division bench said the court cannot conduct a reappraisal of the evidence that BCCI’s disciplinary committee relied on. It also said that it’s only conducting a judicial review and is not sitting as an appellate authority over BCCI’s decision. The right-arm fast-medium bowler played 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India, taking 87, 75 and 7 wickets respectively.He last played for India in a Test match against England at The Oval in August 2011.( With Agency Inputs ).
