Five reasons why S. Sreesanth should not be allowed to make a comeback
An aggressive fast bowler by profession gets involved in multiple on-field controversies, is hard hit by a spot-fixing scandal in the middle of a flailing career, gets banned for life, then marries a princess, is exonerated by the courts and now dreams of playing the World Cup. We could be forgiven for thinking this is a blockbuster Bollywood script.
Indian cricket’s controversial superstar Sreesanth, who was exonerated by the courts in the spot-fixing case, might be on the verge of joining mainstream cricket once again. And as bad as the optics might look for the sport in India, the Kerala High Court’s judgement is the perfect opportunity for the country to form strong sports fraud laws.
Sreesanth is now 35 and even though he might dream of making a comeback to the Indian team, the reality is he played his last ODI and Test in 2011, two years before being caught in the spot-fixing scandal.
With the court case now over and the BCCI looking for various other legal options to handle the situation, here are five reasons why we think Sreesanth should not be allowed to make a comeback at any cost.
#1 India need to enforce a zero-tolerance policy in matters regarding match-fixing and spot-fixing
Sreesanth’s spot-fixing case is much bigger than just punishing one individual; it’s about setting an example for the youngsters taking up the sport. There needs to be a zero-tolerance policy in matters regarding spot-fixing and match-fixing and these policies need to be enforced with strong action in case anyone is found guilty.
The onus for implementing a zero-tolerance policy falls on the BCCI, which is an independent governing body. And the Indian board would have failed if it lets the Sreesanth case become a case study for any future offences where the offender sub-consciously knows he can get away with it because of precedent.