CHENNAI: There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for S Sreesanth. Not just because the Kerala High Court has lifted the BCCI’s life ban on him for his role in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case. The BCCI is not sure about challenging the order.
Although acting BCCI president CK Khanna said this would be discussed at an appropriate forum after consulting lawyers and the court-appointed administrators (CoA), history and the uncertainty in the board suggest that contesting it won’t be easy. The Kerala Cricket Association’s decision to support Sreesanth will not help either.
“Challenging this is no simple process and we don’t know who will take the decision. The CoA has to be in the loop, but going by rules, our general body should have the final word. It won’t be clear until we call a meeting. With everyone busy with the Lodha case, we don’t know when we can even discuss Sreesanth,” a BCCI official told Express.
What can also encourage Sreesanth is the fact that the BCCI did not challenge the orders that overturned fixing bans on Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Sharma and Ajay Jadeja. The first two were acquitted after their playing days were gone, but Jadeja played first-class cricket after winning a verdict in 2003.
“The BCCI does have a record of not challenging these orders. We said that Azhar’s ban stays despite the verdict in 2012, but did nothing when it came to approaching Supreme Court,” the official added.
N Srinivasan’s dwindling command in the BCCI is another factor, considering he was board president and headed the committee that banned Sreesanth. With him sidelined, arguments for challenging the order will miss a prominent voice.