S Sreesanth approaches Kerala High Court as BCCI drags feet on granting NOC despite lifting of life ban

Kochi: Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth, who on 7 August got a huge boost when the Kerala High Court lifted the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI, approached the court on Friday asking for relief as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still has not acted in the matter.

Sreesanth in his petition asked for the immediate intervention of the court saying that he wished to travel to play in the Scotland League and the BCCI, despite the court lifting the ban, has not given him an NOC to be submitted to the Scot cricket authorities.

He said the Scotland League has reached its last leg and any more delay could be detrimental to him.

The court will take up his petition on Monday.

Since his arrest in 2013, Sreesanth had his first outing on 15 August when he led a local team in an exhibition match on a cricket pitch in Kochi.

The 34-year-old pacer, along with two other players, was exonerated in 2015 by a Delhi court in the case registered by Delhi Police which invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), but the BCCI disciplinary committee headed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley slapped a life ban on Sreesanth.

Following this, he approached the Kerala High Court, which on 7 August lifted the life ban.

Even though the Kerala High Court has lifted the ban, the BCCI has decided to appeal against the single bench verdict.

Sreesanth played 27 Tests taking 87 wickets, and picked up 75 scalps from 53 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and seven wickets from 10 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).