The Board of Control for Cricket in India poured cold water on banned Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth’s threat of playing for another country, saying the rules won’t allow him to do so.

Days after the Kerala High Court decided to reimpose the life ban handed to him by the BCCI for his alleged role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, Sreesanth had been reported saying that he was ready to relocate to another country to continue playing cricket. “I have been banned by the BCCI but not by the ICC (International Cricket Council),” Sreesanth had told Asianet News.

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However, the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary clarified that the ICC’s rules doesn’t permit any cricketer banned by a member nation to play for another country. “The ICC is very clear that any player who is banned by any full member can neither play for any other full member nor for any other association,” Chaudhary was quoted as saying by ANI. “All this is just empty talk and that the BCCI is very well aware of their legal position,” Chaudhary added.

Sreesanth had earlier already tried to engineer a move to play in a Scottish league but failed to receive a go-ahead from the BCCI. In August, the Kerala High Court had lifted the ban imposed by the BCCI following Sreesanth’s appeal. However, the board filed a counter-affidavit in the court.