S Sreesanth named among Kerala probables for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Indian speedster S Sreesanth is moving closer to competitive cricket after being named among the 26 probables Kerala players for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. The fast bowler’s ban, meted out to him by the BCCI after the IPL 2013 alleged spot-fixing scandal, ended in September and he has already shown keenness to return to the cricket field after seven tough and hectic years.

In the domestic T20 Trophy, scheduled to get underway on January 10, 2021, Sreesanth might get to play alongside the likes of Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby and Basil Thampi. Sreesanth last played for Team India way back in 2011 and he last played a competitive match in the 2013 IPL. As per sources, Sreesanth is now set to take part in a preparatory camp to be held from December 20 to 30.

List of Kerala probables: 

Robin Uthappa, Jalaj Saxena, Sanju Samson, Vishnu Vinod, Rahul P, Mohammed Azarudeen, Rohan Kunnumel, Sachin Baby, Salman Nizar, Basil Thampi, S Sreesanth, M D Nideesh, KM Asif, Basil NP, Akshay Chandran, Sijomon Joseph, Midhun S, Abhishek Mohan, Vatsal Govind, Anand Joseph, Vinoop Manoharan, Midhun PK, Sreeroop, Akshay KC, Rojith, Arun M.

BCCI trying its heart out

The COVID-19 pandemic, earlier, made sure that cricket of all forms came to a halt. However, after the 2020 IPL took place in the UAE, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is also busy chalking out a plan for the resumption of domestic cricket in the country.

For the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, teams will join their bio-security bubbles on January 2. BCCI secretary Jay Shah mentioned that the tournament will end on January 31. The details of the venues aren’t yet known though.

“The BCCI will subsequently seek further feedback from the members on organising further domestic tournament/tournaments and a decision will be taken after the group stage of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The members are requested to factor a subsequent tournament in their planning and make arrangements accordingly,” Shah wrote in a letter to the state bodies.

“We are waiting for details from the Board as to what’s to be done next. We are awaiting clarity on the bio-bubbles and how they want us to go about it,” one of the state unit officials stated.