Banned Sreesanth says he is ready to leave India and play for another country

Days after hitting out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following his life ban being restored by the Kerala High Court, S Sreesanth has hinted he will try representing a country other than India to make sure he gets to play the sport he loves.

The World Cup-winning pacer insisted that he has very few years of cricket left in him and that he wanted to continue playing the sport by availing whatever opportunities that come his way.

There was disappointment for the 34-year-old on Wednesday, October 18 as a division bench of the Kerala High Court restored the life ban imposed by the BCCI over his alleged involvement in the infamous 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal.

The verdict came as a huge surprise to the cricket fraternity as the same court had directed the governing body of cricket in the country to lift the ban, in August.

"I have been banned by BCCI not International Cricket Council (ICC). So if not India I want to play for another country. I am already 34 years old and I can play another six years maximum. Since I love cricket, I want to play the sport somehow," Sreesanth told Asianet News on Thursday, October 19.

Sreesanth, who had



also contested in the Kerala Assembly elections in 2016 on a BJP ticket, also expressed disappointment at not being able to even represent his state in Ranji Trophy and other domestic competitions before lashing out at the BCCI, saying it was just a private organisation.

The life ban on Sreesanth, along with his former Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan continues to remain even after a Patiala House court let them off the spot-fixing case, in 2015.

Notably, Sreeesanth's request for a no-objection certificate to play club cricket in Scotland was denied by the BCCI earlier this year. The right-arm fast bowler had been eyeing a stint with the Glenrothes CC for more than a year now, but all his efforts have gone in vain.

Sreesanth sought the court's intervention earlier this year, after which a single bench of the Kerala High Court ruled in his favour in August. However, the BCCI, in September, appealed against the order, saying it had slapped the ban based on evidences collected against the cricketer.

A miffed Sreesanth also took to Twitter to vent out his frustration over the court's recent ruling. He also hit out at the BCCI for treating him unfairly over the spot-fixing scandal.