Hyderabad/New Delhi, November 9: Former Indian cricket team skipper Mohammad Azharuddin had labelled himself Destiny's Child when he stormed into the limelight stroking three hundreds in his first three Tests against England in 1985.
A god-fearing man and a devout Muslim, the wristy batsman repeated those words when he was made the skipper in 1990.
Perhaps, it was destiny that the man who went on to lead India to a record 14 Test wins and was the apple of the eye of most cricket fans before Sachin Tendulkar stole his thunder, allegedly took a 'bite' of the forbidden fruit and fell from the eyes of those very fans who had put him on a pedestal.
On Thursday, 12 years after he was banned by the BCCI, for match-fixing and involvement with bookies, destiny chose to smile on him again.
The life ban imposed on the cricketer-turned politician in December 2000, was set aside by the AP High Court. A division bench comprising Justices Asuthosh Mohunta and G Krishna Mohan Reddy delivered the judgement, allowing the appeal filed by Azharuddin against BCCI's ban as also a civil court's approval of the ban order.
The bench also set aside the ban preventing Azharuddin from playing any cricket match conducted or authorised by the ICC and BCCI. It further set aside the ban on a benefit match for the player.
Azharuddin was prevented from not only playing a match, but wasn't even allowed to enter any venue that was staging a match under the aegis of the ICC.
The two judges were unanimous in their opinion that the BCCI went about condemning the cricketer without even giving him the opportunity to be heard. The board also failed to substantiate its claims of wrongdoing by Azharuddin with any credible evidence, the bench said.
The match-fixing scandal came to light in April 2000, after the then South Africa captain Hansie Cronje claimed in his confession that Azharuddin had introduced him to bookies.
The removal of the ban though, may not mean much to Azharuddin as far as his playing career is concerned. At 49, and especially when he has made a successful switch from cricket to politics, the game is not a priority any more.
But getting his name cleared of the match-fixing allegations is a huge victory indeed. The court order will now allow him to plan his long overdue benefit match and also claim what is due to him from the cricket board.
A RELIEVED MAN
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress MP from Moradabad said he was a relieved man.
"I fought this battle for so long with patience. It has been a tough and painful battle and I am grateful to everyone who has supported me during this difficult period," Azhar told reporters at a press conference at his residence.
Azhar said he was happy that his name is no more mired in controversy.
"My name is cleared and I don't want to dwell upon what happened in the past. If people want to keep talking about the past I can't help them. I am happy, I have not done anything wrong and I do not have any regrets. My conscience is clear."
Reaffirming his faith in destiny, Azhar, when asked whether he regretted playing 99 Tests and not 100, said, "Maybe I was destined to play 99 Test matches and that's what the Almighty wanted. I would not like to dwell on the past and move on. I am an MP and would like to focus on the development of my constituency Moradabad."
'WON'T TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST ANY AUTHORITY'
Mumbai/New Delhi: The agony of fighting a protracted legal battle to get the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI removed, finally ended for Mohammad Azharuddin on Thursday.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed the ban slapped on the former India skipper for his alleged involvement in match-fixing and called it "illegal".
Azhar, who is now a Lok Sabha MP from Moradabad, has always maintained that the ban was unfair and the BCCI's decision was unilateral. However, the former Hyderabadi batsman sought to strike a conciliatory note with the BCCI, saying that he would not want to blame anybody for the pain he suffered in the past 12 years.
"It was a long-drawn out legal case and it was painful. We fought in the court for 11 years. There were lots of adjournments, changes in the case. But finally the verdict has come and I am happy that the ban has been lifted by the court," Azhar said on Thursday.
Asked if he would take any legal action against the BCCI, he said: "I am not going to take any legal action against any authority and I don't want to blame anybody for this also."
Technically, the HC verdict now makes Azhar eligible for the BCCI pension and payout that the board doles out to former cricketers.
The BCCI didn't jump to any conclusion on Thursday.
Reacting to the HC verdict, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla told TOI: "The BCCI will take the final call only after our legal team studies the order."
Board CAO Ratnakar Shetty, echoed the views of Shukla.
THEY WERE BANNED TOO
Manoj Prabhakar: Was banned for five years for match-fixing after he tried to implicate Kapil Dev. Became the bowling coach for Delhi after that. Is a TV expert.
Ajay Jadeja: Was banned for five years in 2000 for match-fixing . But in January 2003, the Delhi HC overturned the ban for want of proof. Went on to captain Delhi and Rajasthan. Became a TV expert.
Ajay Sharma: Was banned for life by the BCCI in 2000 for match-fixing . The ban still stands.
Comments
Add new comment