Sreesanth back on field after four years in the wilderness
kochi — As India celebrated its 71st Independence Day on Tuesday, former Indian speedster S. Sreesanth took to a cricket field for the first time in four years as he led a team in an exhibition match.
The exhibition match was played at the ground where he first plied his trade and was cheered by a sizeable crowd. Members from the two teams presented roses to Sreesanth when he stepped on to the field.
The pacer got a huge relief on Aug. 7 when the Kerala High Court lifted the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Sreesanth had approached the court last year after the BCCI failed to revoke the life ban though he was exonerated by a Delhi court of the charge of involvement in a spotfixing scandal, which marred the Indian Premier League in 2013.
On Tuesday, Sreesanth led the Playback Singers XI who took on a team of the Producers XI. He opened the batting and had a good outing with the bat.
“I am really happy that I am back and I am beginning my return from the same ground where it all began. Now from here, I want to reach Thiruvananthapuram and from there upwards and back to the Indian team,” said Sreesanth.
Even though Kerala High Court has lifted the ban, the BCCI has decided to appeal against the single bench verdict. In 2015, the pacer, along with Chandila and Chavan, was exonerated by a Delhi court in the case registered by Delhi Police which invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to try him.
During his career, he has played in 27 Tests taking 87 wickets, and picked up 75 scalps from 53 OneDay Internationals (ODIs) and 7 wickets from 10 T20s. —