Parents have tears of joy as Sreesanth is exonerated

Parents of former cricketer S. Sreesanth had tears of joy in their eyes on Saturday evening as TV channels announced their son had been exonerated of all charges.

There were some anxious moments at home as Delhi's Patiala House court was supposed to take up the case in the morning but the decision was put off to 2 p.m and then to 4 p.m.

Just as the news began to come in that all charges against Sreesanth were being dropped, his parents stood up with folded hands before the media to thank everybody.

A beaming Sreesanth told reporters soon after coming out of the court: "I want to play cricket again and I wish that the BCCI gives me permission to use the facility to get fit again. I went through a lot of troubles. I am just waiting to bowl those outswingers."

"Thanks to all and this is a reply to all those who made fun of me," he remarked.

"Thanks to all and my wife and our child came as an angel. I just want to start again and am just waiting to run on the ground," he said.

BCCI vice president and Kerala Cricket Association president T.C.Mathew described the news as "the best news to have come" and the KCA will ask the BCCI to revoke the life ban that was imposed on him.

"As a person known to me well, many had doubts that there was some deliberate attempt against Sreesanth. We will give him full support for his return to cricket. This is a belated exoneration," said Mathew.

Delhi Police had invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the IPL match fixing case registered against Sreesanth and a few others in 2013.

Sreesanth's cricketing career took a nosedive after he was arrested on May 16, 2013 and sent to jail till June 11 in the wake of his alleged involvement in the match- fixing. He was served a life term ban from the game.

Sreesanth, only the second Keralite to represent the country in international cricket, has represented the country in 27 Tests (87 wickets), 53 ODIs (75) and 10 T20Is (seven wickets).