ICC promptly diverts Champions Trophy tour away from PoK cities after BCCI’s objections
The original tour schedule included cities like Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad, which fall in the PoK region, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan.
In a recent turn of events, BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain has ordered that tainted Indian pace bowler S Sreesanth ’s ban for allegedly spot-fixing an Indian Premier League match be removed from August 2020, noting that the cricketer is already past his prime having served the ban for six years.
Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had banned Sreesanth, who is now 36 years old, for life in August of 2013. He was banned along with his Rajasthan Royals teammate Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan for allegedly spot-fixing in Indian Premier League matches in that year.
However, on 15 March 2019, the Supreme Court had set aside the BCCI disciplinary committee order of the life ban imposed on Sreesanth. Now, BCCI ombudsman Jain stated that “ends of justice” would indeed be making the life ban a seven-year suspension and allowing him to let him play from August 2020.
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“…for Mr Sreesanth, who is now in his late thirties, his prime years as a Cricketer, particularly as a fast bowler may already be over,” Jain stated in his order.
“… I am of the view that banning Mr. Sreesanth from participating in any kind of commercial Cricket or from associating with any activities of the BCCI or its affiliates, for a period of seven years with effect from 13.09.2013, i.e. the date from which, the period of ban imposed by the Disciplinary Committee had commenced, will meet the ends of justice,” Jain added.
It is worth noting here that Sreesanth has never admitted to these charges and throughout the entire period has maintained that all the allegations are in fact false.
The Kerala pacer featured for India in as many as 27 Test Matches, 53 ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals, claiming a total of 169 wickets in all. He was also a part of India’s ICC Cricket World Cup-winning 2011 squad.
With age not by his side, it is unlikely that he will make an India comeback.
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