After a 7-year ban from all cricket, fast bowler Sreesanth returns to domestic cricket

After a ban of seven long years for his involvement in spot-fixing in 2013 IPL, fast bowler Sreesanth returns to domestic cricket. Team coach Tinu Yohannan has said that they are keeping their doors open for fast bowler S Sreesanth’s return to domestic cricket but he will only be selected on merit and his fitness.

Sreesanth was handed a life ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal but it was reduced to 7 years by the board’s ombudsman DK Jain in August last year. He had already served 6 years of the ban by then and it finally ended on September 13, 2020.

The 37-year-old is now doing all he can to return to the sport and has been training with the Kerala U-23 side ever since the lockdown in India was lifted.

“Sreesanth has shown the keenness to play by training hard and keeping himself fit,” Kerala coach Tinu Yohannan told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been in touch [with him]. We will consider him, but it will depend on his form and fitness. But the door is open.”

Sreesanth is keen to make his international return for India and pledged that he will manage his fitness and give his very best into every single delivery that he bowls from now on.

“I’m completely free of any charges nd anything nd now gonna represent the sport I love the most.will give my very best to every ball I ball even (if) it’s just practice,” he tweeted on Friday, 2 days before the lifting of his ban.

“Just have another 5 to 7 years max to give it all I’ve got nd I will give the very best to any team I play,” he added.

However, the Indian domestic season -that usually starts in August- was postponed amid the novel coronavirus-induced pandemic, and so Sreesanth’s comeback will have to wait some more. For that he’d have to prove his fitness to the Kerala state board.

Sreesanth even said that he thought about organising a local cricket tournament but dropped the plan due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the state.

“After a long wait, I can play again but there is no place in the country to play now.

“I even planned to organise a local tournament in Kochi this week so that I could step out onto the field, but decided against it looking at the risks involved, as the number of coronavirus cases in Kerala are increasing,” Sreesanth said.