Kolkata: Banned former Indian seamer, S Sreesanth went a step further in his search for justice for his loss of four valuable years of international cricket, as he wrote to Vinod Rai, the head of the Committee of Administrators (COA) – a body appointed by the Supreme Court for Indian cricket, for the revocation of his ban. Rai is also a former Comptroller and Auditor General of India. According to sources close to the fast bowler, he was heavily disappointed at the way the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) outgoing leadership treated him, especially when the parent cricketing body in India denied him a NOC (No-Objection Certificate) to play in the ongoing Scotland Cricket League.
During the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League, Sreesanth and two of his teammates from the discarded team- Rajasthan Royals were arrested for spot-fixing during a match. However, in 2015 they were acquitted of their charges by a Delhi court in a case registered by the Delhi Police which invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). After the change of guard in the BCCI, Sreesanth hopes to convince Rai to act on the unjust treatment he received from the BCCI. Rai, as an IAS officer has worked in Kerala, Sreesanth’s home state.
Absolutely hellbent on having his ban lifted, Sreesanth looks forward to seeking judicial help in case this attempt of his goes in vain. The BCCI disciplinary committee headed by the Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley, had earlier imposed a life ban on the Kerala pacer. As a result of this, Sreesanth is barred from participating in league cricket and he even cannot practise on the grounds which fall under the jurisdiction of the BCCI and the state cricket associations.
A veteran of 27 Tests, Sreesanth has 87 dismissals to his credit. In ODIs the pacer has 75 wickets from 53 matches and has 7 scalps from 10 matches in the shortest version of the game i.e. T20 Internationals. Whatever happens after this, it looks like an uphill task for Sreesanth to make it to international cricket again. Despite the final verdict in this case, let’s just hope that truth prevails at the end even if it means that Sreesanth never ever makes it to the cricket field again.
(With inputs from IANS)
