If India pacer S Sreesanth is found guilty in the IPL spot-fixing case, it is learnt that the BCCI will not just ban him for life, but also suggest that the International Cricket Council (ICC) erase all his records from international cricket, says a report in The Indian Express. The pacer may also have to return the World Cup 2011 and World T20 2007 medals, along with his man-of-the-match awards.
"Like in the Olympics, where the banned players have to return their medals if found guilty (of a wrongdoing, like doping), Sreesanth will have to return the medals he won while playing for India. It was also decided to erase his records from domestic and international cricket. BCCI president N Srinivasan agreed to this," said a source who attended the BCCI meeting in Chennai on Sunday, according to a report in The Indian Express.
Meanwhile according to a report in Deccan Chronicle, BCCI president N. Srinivasan on Sunday admitted that not having the powers of government agencies is a handicap for the BCCI. “We are handicapped when it comes to control over bookies. Our Anti-Corruption and Security Units (ACSUs) have got certain limitations. They can't gather information like a police department. We will, however, strive hard to further strengthen the vigilance and monitoring of players,” he added.
Addressing a crowded press conference after an emergency meeting of the Board’s Working Committee, Mr Srinivasan promised to take strongest possible action against the players if they were found guilty. The BCCI stuck to the rule book by not imposing a life ban on S.Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila right away.
Instead, BCCI decided at its working committee meeting here on Sunday to launch an internal inquiry first and then act on its findings. The Rajasthan Royals, the employer of the trio, will however, file a police complaint in Jaipur. It is learnt that had the BCCI acted in haste and against its own constitution in banning the cricketers, the decision may have been open to challenge in court.
According to a report in Times of India, in a bid to check corruption, the BCCI chief said the board will appoint anti-corruption officer with each of the IPL franchises along with a security officer to monitor players' movement. Srnivavsan said that the players' agents will now be accredited by the board.
"The working committee decided henceforth all player agents have to be accredited by the BCCI. There will be an ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) official appointed with each team along with a security officer," he said.
"Access to the players would be monitored. The head of ICC ACSU will give a note recommending steps to the BCCI to deal with it," he added.