Thiruvananthapuram: A remark by S Sreesanth, in support of Indian cricketer Sanju Samson, has sparked controversy in Kerala, with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) accusing the former India pacer of making false and defamatory statements against the state’s cricket governing body.The KCA recently issued a show cause notice to Sreesanth, who was part of the India squad that won two World Cup titles, for his remarks linking the state cricket body and Samson during a panel discussion on a Malayalam TV channel.In a statement on Friday, the KCA clarified that the show cause notice issued to Sreesanth was not for supporting Samson but for his misleading and defamatory comments against the association.During the TV discussion, Sreesanth allegedly pledged his support to Samson and vowed to protect him and other Kerala players while accusing the KCA.His remarks came amid criticism of the KCA for dropping Samson from the Kerala squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was believed to have impacted his chances of being selected for India’s Champions Trophy team.The KCA also noted that the former pacer has not yet been acquitted in the match-fixing case.The association stated that Sreesanth, who is the co-owner of a Kerala Cricket League franchise, had made defamatory remarks against the KCA, amounting to a breach of contract.”The Kerala Cricket Association has always stood by its players,” the statement said.The KCA further stated that it had extended support to Sreesanth when he faced allegations of match-fixing, a dark chapter in Indian cricket.”When he was in jail, office bearers of the association visited and supported him. However, the BCCI imposed a life ban only after the match-fixing allegations were found to be true. While the BCCI Ombudsman later reduced the life ban to seven years, the fact remains that though the court dismissed the criminal proceedings, he was never acquitted of the spot-fixing charges,” the KCA alleged.”Someone like Sreesanth does not need to ‘protect’ Kerala’s players,” the statement added.The association also emphasised that after Sreesanth completed his ban, he was given another opportunity to play in matches, including the Ranji Trophy, purely due to KCA’s supportive approach.”It would be interesting to see if other associations showed such a favourable stance toward players involved in betting,” it said.The KCA pointed out that Sreesanth had previously praised the association’s efforts in supporting players while commentating on the Kerala Cricket League.His recent claim questioning who, besides Samson, had made it to the Indian team from Kerala was termed “ridiculous” by the association.”Senior national players like Sajana Sajeevan, Minnu Mani, and Asha Shobhana, along with Joshitha V J, who was part of the Indian U-19 Women’s World Cup-winning team, Najla CMC in the U-19 team, and Mohammed Inan in the Men’s U-19 Asia Cup team, all represent Kerala cricket at the highest level. This shows his lack of awareness about Kerala cricket,” the release said.The KCA warned that violations of discipline, regardless of who commits them, would not be tolerated.”If anyone defames the association by making false claims, action will be taken,” it added.Sreesanth serves as the mentor, brand ambassador, and co-owner of Aries Kollam Sailors, the team that recently won the Kerala Cricket League (KCL).Since he is associated with a KCL franchise that has a contractual agreement with the KCA, he is bound to adhere to certain regulations and respect them, KCA sources said.
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