An Indian cricket star is preparing to put his Bollywood movie career on hold to return to the crease in Fife.
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, a legendary bowler who represented his country in 27 test matches, has announced that he could sensationally return to the sport by signing for Glenrothes Cricket Club.
The 34-year-old has confirmed that he is preparing to drop his millionaire lifestyle in India and uproot to the Kingdom, three years after being frozen out from the sport.
The fast-medium bowler was given a lifetime ban for an alleged role in a match-fixing scandal in his homeland, but was exonerated by a Delhi court.
However, his ban from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains in place and Eddie Gibbs, a director of the Eastern Premier League club, said that efforts were now underway to have this overturned to allow the star to continue his career at Gilvenbank Park.
“It’s a conversation I’ve been having with him for a long time,” said Mr Gibbs.
“He had always joked that he would come to Glenrothes at the end of his career, but with his situation I suggested we could maybe used it for his comeback.
“Sree has not been banned by the ICC, which is the world governing body, and he was exonerated in court, so it is incredible that he cannot play.
“But if he was able to join us then it would be sensational.”
Sreesanth was accused of spot-fixing in 2013 while playing in the Indian Premier League.
Although the charges against him were dropped, his playing ban remains in place, despite the player claiming that he has never received written notification of the order.
Mr Gibbs hopes that recent reforms at the BCCI might allow Sreesanth’s ban to be lifted, freeing him up to complete his move to Glenrothes.
However, if not, there is the possibility that the case could go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
If the move were to go through then it would mark a significant coup for Glenrothes Cricket Club.
With over a million followers on Twitter, Sreesanth has recently branched out into appearing in Bollywood movies and is a regular fixture on the pages of Indian magazines with wife Bhuvneshwari Kumari, a member of a Rajasthani royal family.
Speaking about his possible move to Cricindex, Sreesanth said: “Eddie has been very helpful in motivating me.
“Glenrothes is a great opportunity for me.
“I’ve played with a lot of legends like Tendulkar and Ponting (and) I would love to share that experience and pass it on.”
