Sreesanth approaches Kerala HC after BCCI fails to act

Kochi: Former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth, who on August 7 got a huge boost when the Kerala High Court lifted the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI, approached the court on Friday asking for relief as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still has not acted in the matter.

Sreesanth in his petition asked for the immediate intervention of the court saying that he wished to travel to play in the Scotland League and the BCCI, despite the court lifting the ban, has not given him an NOC to be submitted to the Scot cricket authorities.

He said the Scotland League has reached its last leg and any more delay could be detrimental to him.

The court will take up his petition on Monday.

Since his arrest in 2013, Sreesanth had his first outing on August 15 when he led a local team in an exhibition match on a cricket pitch here.

The now 34-year-old pacer, along with two other players, was exonerated in 2015 by a Delhi court in the case registered by Delhi Police which invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), but the BCCI Disciplinary Committee headed by present Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley slapped a life ban on Sreesanth.

Following this, he approached the Kerala HC, which on August 7 lifted the life ban.

Even though the Kerala High Court has lifted the ban, the BCCI has decided to go in appeal against the single bench verdict.

Sreesanth played in 27 Tests taking 87 wickets, and picked up 75 scalps from 53 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and seven wickets from 10 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

—IANS