A life ban on Indian fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for match-fixing was reinstated by a court on Tuesday following an appeal by the country's cricket board. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had moved the Kerala High Court in August to review an order that acquitted Sreesanth due to lack of proof.
The court in a fresh verdict overturned its previous judgement. But Sreesanth, 34, vowed to keep fighting against what he called "injustice" against him. "All I have is my family and lots of dear ones who still believes in me... I will keep fighting and make sure I don't give up," he said in a Tweet.
"This is the worst decision ever..special rule for me?what about real culprits?What about chennai super kings ? And what about Rajasthan ?," Sreesanth wrote on Twitter. He and two other Rajasthan Royals players were banned for life over alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing following a 2013 scandal in the Indian Premier League.
Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested along with scores of bookies as part of a probe into allegations that players had under-performed in return for cash. Criminal charges were later dropped, but the players remained banned for breaching the BCCI's code of conduct. Sreesanth, who is 13 short of 100 Test wickets, has played 27 Tests and 53 one-day internationals since making his debut in 2005.