Delhi court lifts match-fixing ban on Indian cricketer

NEW DELHI, Jan 27 AFP - The Delhi High Court today overturned a five-year ban on Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja on match-fixing charges, saying there was no proof he was guilty.

Jadeja was banned from official cricket two years ago by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he was named in a match-fixing investigation by federal investigators.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its report, claimed that Jadeja hobnobbed with alleged bookmakers and cited phone records to link his association with them.

But the arbitrator appointed by the High Court ruled the probe was one-sided and he was not given a chance to prove his innocence.

There was no reaction yet from Jadeja or the BCCI, which has the option to appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court.

It is unlikely that Jadeja, who turns 32 on Saturday, will be reinstated immediately in the Indian team since he has not played cricket officially for two years.

Regarded as one of India's finest limited-overs cricketers, the stylish middle-order batsman played 196 one-dayers in which he scored 5,359 runs with six centuries and 30 half-centuries.

Jadeja also played 15 Tests, scoring 576 runs averaging 26.18.

His last international engagement was the Asia Cup match against Pakistan in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in June, 2000.

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, slapped with a life ban following the CBI probe, is also fighting a legal battle in an Andhra Pradesh court to clear his name.