What’s the story?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India vice president T.C. Mathew believes fast bowler S. Sreesanth, who is currently serving life ban imposed by the board can still make a comeback into the national outfit.
"If Ashish Nehra can return to the national side at the age of 37, then Sreesanth too can make it.The 33-year-old Sreesanth is still a terrific bowler and he is undergoing rigorous training," Mathew told Manorama News.
In case you didn’t know..
Sreesanth made his debut in international cricket in 2005. He had a lot of pace and could swing the ball both ways from the very beginning. He was being considered as one of the future superstars but then he failed to live up to expectations. In limited overs cricket, he would often give away plenty of runs and therefore found it difficult to make the team after few years.
The heart of the matter
In 2013, Sreesanth was arrested with two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan for allegedly fulfilling their promises to bookmakers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The controversy created havoc in the cricketing world and the BCCI decided to investigate the matter.
The board found him guilty and banned him for life. However, in 2015, Sreesanth was cleared of spot-fixing charges by a Delhi trial court due to insufficient evidence under the MCOCA act, a special law passed by the Maharashtra state government to tackle organised crime syndicates and terrorism.
His last One-Day International for India was the 2011 World Cup final where Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men lifted the trophy after 28 years by beating Sri Lanka.
The now 34-year-old was also interestingly a member of the World T20 squad which won the World T20 in 2007 in South Africa. He also has been trying to play in a league in Scotland but he was denied the NOC by BCCI a few days back.
What’s next?
With how the present circumstances are it is quite unlikely that Sreesanth can make it back to the Indian team. But then again stranger things have happened in cricket and it will be foolish to rule out such a possibility. However, fitness and form both will be an issue.
Sportskeeda’s take
At 34, Sreesanth isn’t getting any younger and for a fast bowler, it is always difficult to make a comeback after such a long layoff. But if you look at the case of Ashish Nehra, you get the feeling that the Kerala pacer might be in with a shot.
If he keeps up his form and fitness, we may yet see Sreesanth donning Indian colours again.
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