Cricket a glorious game of uncertainty, no one should make it predictable: SC

NEW DELHI: Cricket is a glorious game of uncertainty and no one should make it predictable, the Supreme Court said on Friday.

The observation of a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice D Y Chandrachud came as it was hearing an appeal by cricketer S Sreesanth challenging a Kerala High Court decision upholding the

life ban on him imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Bench told BCCI that he has been exonerated by a criminal court in the sensational IPL spot-fixing case of 2013. “Cricket is a glorious game of uncertainty and no one should make it

lose the charm of uncertainty by making it predictable,” the Bench said. Senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for BCCI, said the 34-year-old cricketer was exonerated on the ground that the board had already punished him.

The Bench said it should be kept in mind that a criminal court had exonerated the cricketer. Sreesanth’s counsel said the court should pass a direction for expeditious hearing of the appeal against his discharge pending in the High Court. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 27. On May 15, the apex court had asked the Delhi High Court to decide by end of July the appeal challenging the trial court order discharging several cricketers, including Sreesanth. The top court had said it understood Sreesanth’s “anxiety” to play cricket, but would like to wait for the high court’s decision on the appeal of the Delhi Police challenging the trial court order discharging the cricketers and others.