Suspended India fast bowler Shantakumran Sreesanth has been given a lifeline by the Supreme Court as they have dismissed BCCI’s order of imposing life ban on the cricketer. Sreesanth’s wife Bhuvneshwari Kumari is hopeful of the fact that his husband will be soon back on cricketing field after SSupreme Court’s order of lifting the life ban on the fast bowler.
“Thank you so much for praying and I am very happy with the Supreme Court decision. He has got justice. The top court has set aside the ban and I hope BCCI does the same. Sreesanth is already practising. Two days ago, he was hit by a ball on his head and had to get some stitches but he is recovering. I am sure he will make a comeback,” she said here.
Shantakumran Sreesanth was arrested by Delhi Police alongside 36 others which also included two of his teammates in Rajasthan Royals, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan. He was accused of spot-fixing along with the two other players. All the 36 members were discharged by the trial court in July 2015. Despite the trial court’s order, BCCI decided not to alter the life ban on Shantakumran Sreesanth.
Shantakumran Sreesanth was a troublesome character during his playing days
Sreesanth was a temperamental character during his heydays and got into trouble more often than not. Despite all the allegations filed against him, Sreesanth took one of the most important catches in the history of Indian cricket. It was during the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup where Sreesanth held his nerves and took the catch of Misbah-ul-Haq which helped India seal the tournament under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
During his prime, Sreesanth was one of best exponents of an upright seam. The way he kept the seam made experts compare him with Richard Hadlee. During the 2007 World Twenty 20 Semi-final match against Australia, Sreesanth was at his immaculate best and bagged two crucial wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.
Sreesanth also made his mark during the limited opportunities he got in the longest format of the game. His best spell in Test cricket remains the spell against South Africa in 2007 when he demolished the South African batting with an exceptional piece of seam and swing bowling. He bagged 5 wickets as the hosts were bowled out for their lowest score of 83 in Test cricket since their re-entry.