The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Legend sets his sights on Fife after ban is lifted
Pace bowler wants to play in kingdom following lay-off
Legend could be on his way to Glenrothes.
One of Indian cricket’s biggest stars could yet grace the field with Glenrothes Cricket Club after a court lifted his lifetime ban from the sport.
Two-time World Cup-winning pace bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth said he was now dreaming of playing in the 2019 World Cup after the Kerala State Court ruled the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had not proved his role in a high-profile Indian Premier League match-fixing scandal in 2013.
While the 34-year-old is likely to have no shortage of offers on the comeback trail after his enforced lay-off, Sreesanth has set his sights on playing for Glens in the Scottish league following talks with the Gilvenbank Park outfit earlier this year.
Sreesanth, who has tried his hand at acting, politics and has even been in a dancing reality show in India in recent years, had been banned indefinitely by the BCCI, even though formal charges against him were dropped.
Asked if Glenrothes Cricket Club will be his first port of call on his return to the sport, Sreesanth replied: “Hopefully, yes. What I know is that they still have some games left in the Cricket Scotland Premier League. Hopefully, I can play at least one match there.”
The 2013 IPL season was mired in controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several officials and three Rajasthan Royals players, including Sreesanth, for illegal betting and spot-fixing.
Sreesanth was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing, but the ban stood.
No one was available for comment from Glenrothes Cricket Club, but club chairman Eddie Gibbs previously suggested that signing Sreesanth would be a “massive news story”.