Manoj Prabhakar’s Pension to Be Released 15 Years After His Ban Ended in 2005, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly Gives 'Assurance'

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar's was banned for five years for his alleged involvement in match-fixing. In 2005, Prabhakar’s ban came to an end and now he is likely to receive benevolent fund and monthly gratis (equivalent of pension) after a wait of 15 long years. Ashok Malhotra, president of Indian Cricket Association (ICA), has reportedly received “assurance” from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly regarding this matter. Sachin: A Billion Dreams Completes Three Years, Fans Rejoice ‘Sachin Tendulkar Documentary’ on Twitter.

‘‘After his ban ended in 2005, Prabhakar has served as coach for a number of state teams like Delhi, Rajasthan while he was also the bowling coach of the Afghanistan national team. This shows the BCCI had no other misgivings about his involvement with cricket,’’ Malhotra was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Before being banned, Prabhakar last featured for Indian in 1996 against Sri Lanka. He played 39 Tests and 130 ODIs after making his debut in 1984. The middle-order batsman was part of India’s 1985 Benson & Henson World Championship-winning team.

Meanwhile, Malhotra emphasised that ICA needs backing of star players like Indian captain Virat Kohli. “We need the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to join the association for it to improve the lot of cricketers in the country. The greats of the game in our country have not come from above, but have been a product of our cricketing ecosystem only,” he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2020 06:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).