Cricketer S Sreesanth has been charged with 38 other people over a spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Indian prosecutors brought charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against S Sreesanth, two of his Rajasthan Royals team-mates, and other non-cricketers.
Spot-fixing involves players bowling wides and no-balls at certain times arranged beforehand with bookmakers.
S Sreesanth and team-mates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan deny the charges.
They were arrested in May along with scores of bookmakers.
Cricketer S Sreesanth has been charged over a spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the IPL
A separate spot-fixing investigation by cricket officials led to cricket chief N Srinivasan stepping aside last month pending the outcome of the probe.
He left his post as the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for suspected spot-fixing.
He and his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise were exonerated by the inquiry, but the Bombay High Court has now ordered a “re-investigation”.
Correspondents say the ruling could delay the return of N Srinivasan.
The scandal broke in May when S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested.
S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were later freed on bail, but Ajit Chandila remains in jail.
The trio, all bowlers, were suspended by India’s cricket board and the Rajasthan Royals.
The IPL is considered to be the world’s showcase for Twenty20 cricket.
Top Indian and international players take part, contributing to what is the world’s richest cricket tournament.
[youtube 8KwCCRvWsqc]
Cricketer Jesse Ryder has come out of a medically-induced coma, three days after he was attacked outside a bar in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Jesse Ryder, 28, suffered serious injuries after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left the bar.
The cricketer was still in intensive care but he was no longer on a ventilator and had been talking, his manager Aaron Klee said.
Cricketer Jesse Ryder has come out of a medically-induced coma, three days after he was attacked outside a bar in Christchurch
Two people have been charged with assault and are due in court next week.
Jesse Ryder had been in Christchurch with team-mates after playing for Wellington Firebirds in a domestic one-day competition. He had been due to fly to Delhi to begin a $300,000 contract in the Indian Premier League.
His manager told a news conference that “Jesse Ryder is awake and talking to us” but added that while they were “absolutely thrilled with the progress”, he had suffered very bad concussion and damage to his lungs.
“We’re all pretty exhausted, it’s been a pretty difficult few days, but having some wins over the last 24 hours has been a huge relief.”
Jesse Ryder stopped playing international cricket for New Zealand in February last year after a series of alcohol-related problems. He had also had disciplinary lapses.
Police said while Jesse Ryder had been drinking before the assault on Thursday morning, alcohol was not a factor.
The suspects charged with assaulting Jesse Ryder, aged 20 and 37, are due to appear before Christchurch District Court on April 4.
[youtube QVCWDFozmuk]
Cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a medically induced coma after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left a Christchurch bar in New Zealand, according to police.
Jesse Ryder is believed to have suffered serious head injuries after the assaults and is now in intensive care.
Local media quoted doctors as saying that Jesse Ryder suffered a fractured skull and a collapsed lung.
The cricketer was in Christchurch playing for Wellington against Canterbury in the domestic one-day competition.
Jesse Ryder, 28, had been due to fly to Delhi to start his $300,000 contract in the Indian Premier League.
Cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a medically induced coma after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left a Christchurch bar in New Zealand
He has chosen not to play for New Zealand since the Napier ODI against South Africa in February 2012 after he was disciplined by team management for breaking team protocol by being out drinking while carrying an injury.
“It appears that Jesse has been the victim of a serious assault and suffered head injuries as a result,” Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer told a nationally televised news conference.
“Jesse was taken to hospital where he remains in intensive care in a critical condition in an induced coma after suffering multiple injuries.”
Brian Archer said that “two or three men” carried out the attacks on the cricketer – but he did not think that alcohol was a “contributing factor”.
A witness to the assaults told New Zealand’s One News that she could hear the impact of the blows from inside the bar.
“As soon as the fight started there were probably four or five guys that ran out to pull them off him and hold them back while he stumbled off over the road,” the witness said.
Brian Archer said Jesse Ryder was attacked again by one of the men after he moved across the road.
He said that no weapon was believed to have been used and that so far no motive had been established for the attack.
“At this stage we have not identified the people involved in the incident but are following positive lines of inquiry,” Brian Archer added.
“We are asking for witnesses to come forward and to speak to us about it.”
Jesse Ryder’s friends and domestic and international cricketers have been sending messages of support via social media.
The attack has been condemned by New Zealand’s PM John Key, who expressed his shock over the “sinister” incident.
Jesse Ryder:
- Middle-order left-handed batsman for Tests and an opening ODI batsman
- Has made 1,269 runs in 18 Tests at an average of 40.93 with a highest score of 201 and 1,100 runs in 39 ODIs
- Has recently been in scintillating form for the Wellington Firebirds
- Was disciplined in February 2012 by New Zealand team management for drinking while carrying an injury
- Had to withdraw from the test series against England in 2008 after cutting his hand on a window at a Christchurch nightclub
[youtube 6_Cv0v24gcY]
[youtube 3vOHsJFZm9U]
