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 hasy 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. I have two goals left. One is to take 100 Test wickets. I am 13 short now. But a more realistic goal would be to win the Ranji Trophy for Kerala.
“Give me just six months, I will be back to my best and bowling as well as I ever did. My dream is to play 2019 World Cup for India but I know it is next to impossible and it would be a miracle if I play in that World Cup.
“But I have always believed that miracles can happen.”
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.
He said: “It is a new life for me. Even the biggest of criminals don’t go through what I or my family went through.
“A small incident was portrayed in the wrong way in front of the world. Maybe that’s how the world works, I don’t know.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the BCCI will appeal the court’s decision, amid rumours that it is taking legal advice before deciding on its next steps.
No-one was available for comment from Glenrothes Cricket Club, but club chairman Eddie Gibbs previously suggested that a signing the calibre of Sreesanth would be a “massive news story”.
“The ramifications will be huge in terms of sponsorship, the buzz and for the game in Scotland generally,” he told The Courier.
“Someone said it is the equivalent of Messi pitching up at Raith Rovers but I would compare it to someone who is maybe not at the peak of their game but still a big name, like Steven Gerrard, pitching up there.”
