Kerala Cricket Association backs S Sreesanth in letter to the BCCI

What's the story?

The Kerala Cricket Association has declared complete support for S Sreesanth in his attempt to make a comeback to professional cricket. BCCI imposed a life ban on the pacer after he was found guilty of spot-fixing in the sixth edition of the IPL in 2013.

"With the domestic season around the corner, KCA would also like to support him and provide an opportunity to train/practice in the pre-season preparatory camps and selection trials at the earliest instance, subject to clearance from the Committee of Administrators/BCCI," said the KCA in its letter to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in BCCI.

The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday (August 6), ordered the BCCI to lift the ban on Sreesanth at the earliest. The 34-year-old expressed interest in playing the game again and said that he dreams of donning the Indian jersey one more time.

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Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila were convicted of spot-fixing in the sixth season of the Indian Premier League. They played for the Rajasthan Royals and were immediately suspended from the rest of the tournament.

Soon thereafter, BCCI banned the bowling trio. The committee voted for it unanimously.

The details

Here's a copy of the letter that the KCA sent to the CoA, requesting the committee to give clearance to the fast bowler:

KCA's letter to the BCCI What's next?

The 34-year-old will have to go up against bowlers who are younger and fitter than him in his bid to make a comeback in the national side. The Indian team currently boasts of pace bowlers like Jasprit Bumrajh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma.

India's pace bowling unit is looking stronger than ever and it looks really tough for Sreesanth to find his way into the same after such a long lay-off. He last played international cricket in 2011, and will have to go through the domestic route again to make his way to the top of the pile.

Author's take

It is clear that the right-arm bowler is getting the full-fledged support of his state in his bid to make a comeback to the game. It remains to see if the BCCI decides to align with or against him.

This Sreesanth issue will be on the agenda of CoA's next meeting and the committee will rule on his future then.