BCCI denies NOC to S Sreesanth for playing in Scotland

What’s the story?

Controversial fast bowler S Sreesanth’s much-hyped comeback to the game has hit a roadblock as the Board of Control for Cricket in India has denied him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which effectively ends his hopes of turning up for the Scotland Cricket League.

“The BCCI has an internal mechanism and it was their disciplinary committee which slapped a life ban on Sreesanth after conducting its own probe in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match-fixing case in which he was arrested in 2013,” IANS said quoting a source. In case you didn’t know...

The Kerala pacer has been banned for life by the BCCI for being involved in the spot-fixing scandal which hit the Indian Premier League in 2013. He was handed the ban when Delhi Police framed him for being involved in such nefarious acts.

As there were no opportunities available for him to make a comeback anywhere within the Indian cricket circuit, Sreesanth decided to shift to Scotland to play in the regional league.

Ever since his ban, the mercurial pacer who represented India in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs, and 10 T20Is, has featured in several reality shows and also forayed into politics when he unsuccessfully contested the Kerala Assembly elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket.

The heart of the matter

Sreesanth, who was part of the Indian squad for two of its most glorious moments in 2007 and 2011, was arrested by the Delhi Police in 2013 for being involved in spot-fixing when he turned up for the Rajasthan Royals.

A Delhi court later released him and two of his Royals teammates, but the BCCI imposed this lifetime ban on him which effectively ended his career. The rejection of the current NOC is only an extension of BCCI’s stance against Sreesanth, which in many ways is also a stern statement made by the board about its stance on corruption.

What’s next?

The pacer’s hopes of making a comeback to competitive cricket seem to be quashed at the moment and it would be interesting to see if he takes the legal route to get the NOC cleared.

Also, the BCCI has made a very strong statement that it does not make exceptions when it comes down to taking a stance on corruption-related issues.

Sportskeeda’s Take

The BCCI is in a state of flux and with the Supreme Court clipping its wings, this stand could help the board in gaining some of the lost ground.

Also, this sends a message across to all players that indulging in corruption would never yield any dividends.

My first ball after 4 years ..felt great ,.i will never ever give up.. pic.twitter.com/7VbpKwXj04

— Sreesanth (@sreesanth36) January 23, 2017