No immediate relief for S Sreesanth; BCCI set to appeal against Kerala High Court's order to lift life ban on tainted bowler

Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has filed an appeal to the Division Bench of Kerala High Court which lifted life ban S Sreenanth, thus denying the pacer an immediate return to action.

"Yes, the legal team has studied the Kerala High Court order. The order has been passed by a single judge bench. As per the natural nomenclature, the BCCI has the right to appeal to a larger bench of the Kerala High Court. Therefore, we will be appealing against the overturn of ban at the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court," a senior BCCI official told PTI on Thursday.

Sreesanth was banned for life by Indian board for his alleged role in the infamous Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing in 2013. But, a single judge bench of the Kerala High Court lifted the ban last Monday.

Reacting to the decision, the BCCI had said, "The decision of the sessions court to acquit the petitioner from the criminal charges has no impact whatsoever on the decision of the internal disciplinary committee of the BCCI to ban the petitioner from playing cricket tournaments organised by the BCCI and/or its affiliates."

In his order, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque set aside all proceedings against the tainted bowler initiated by BCCI. The court had earlier sought the board's stand on the plea by the cricketer.

The right-arm pacer has represented India in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals. He last played for India in a Test match against England at The Oval, in August 2011.