Vijay Hazare Trophy: Sreesanth picks up first five-wicket haul after 15 years

S Sreesanth, turning out for Kerala in the on-going Vijay Hazare Trophy 50-overs tournament, picked up his first five-wicket match haul in List A format after a long gap of 15 years. Sreesanth, who is making a return to domestic cricket after a gap of seven years after his life ban for IPL spot-fixing was overturned by the Supreme Court, claimed 5/65 -- first five-wicket haul after 2006 – in 9.3 overs to bundle out Uttar Pradesh for 283 in 49.4 overs. 

Kerala is taking on Uttar Pradesh in a Group C game at the KSCA stadium in Bengaluru on Monday (February 22). Sreesanth picked up his first wicket of the innings by sending by UP opener Abhishek Goswami for 54 (63 balls, 2x6, 4x4) and added the wicket of top-scorer Akshdeep Nath for 68 (60 balls, 9x4). 

The former India paceman then went on to claim the last three wickets in the UP innings, including that of rival skipper and India paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar for just 1. With his five-wicket haul in the second match of the tournament, Sreesanth now has seven wickets in just two games. 

The Kerala speedster managed to pick up 2/41 in the first match against Odisha which Kerala went on to win by 34 runs via VJD method in a rain-hit contest. Before this match, Sreesanth turned out in 87 List A matches to claim 113 wickets including a best of 6/55. 

Earlier, Sreesanth had registered for the IPL auction 2021 at a base price of Rs 75 lakh but his name got excluded by the pruned down list submitted by the eight franchises.  

“It was honestly disappointing not to make the cut but I am really alright. If I can wait 8 years to make a comeback into cricket, I can wait for some more time. No more sympathies are needed because guys I am absolutely happy,” Sreesanth had said, in the lengthy video posted on Instagram, after his name wasn’t included in the IPL 2021 auction.