KCA Issues Notice to Sreesanth After Criticism Over Sanju Samson’s Non-Selection

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has sent a notice to S. Sreesanth, asking for an explanation. This happened after the former Indian fast bowler spoke against the board for how they treated Sanju Samson. Sreesanth said that KCA did not allow Samson a proper opportunity to give his best for India's ODI team.

"They (KCA) bring players from other states to play for us. Why? It’s disrespectful to our Malayali cricketers. We have only one player at the international level, Sanju. Let’s all support him," Sreesanth told Onmanorama.

Sreesanth’s comment came after a dispute between KCA and Samson, which led to the wicketkeeper-batter being left out of Kerala’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Since Samson was not in Team India’s ODI squad, he needed to prove to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he was worthy of a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy. However, as he couldn’t play in the List A tournament, BCCI did not select him and also started an investigation into why he wasn’t playing domestic cricket.

KCA Responds to Sreesanth’s Allegations

Sreesanth’s comment suggested wrongdoing by KCA. Since he is the co-owner of the Kollam Sailors franchise in the Kerala Cricket League, he is not allowed to make such statements about the board as per his contract. KCA pointed out that they supported him when no one else did because of his match-fixing past, yet he still made negative remarks against them.

"When Sreesanth was in jail facing allegations in the well-known match-fixing case, KCA officials visited and supported him. Although the court dismissed the criminal charges, he has not been officially cleared in the match-fixing case. In this situation, there is no reason for Sreesanth to act as a protector for other players," KCA said in a statement.

"It was only because of KCA’s support that Sreesanth got chances to play matches, including the Ranji Trophy, after completing his sentence. It should be looked into whether other associations have shown the same level of support for players involved in match-fixing," the statement added.