The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked the BCCI to lift the life ban of former captain and Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Azharuddin. The court has stated that the life ban on a cricketer is unsustainable by law. With this order, the life ban imposed on Azhar is temporarily dismissed until BCCI takes this matter to higher judicial bodies.

Earlier, the BCCI imposed a life ban on Azharuddin on charges of match fixing which Azhar himself had confessed. But when in 2006, the BCCI lifted the ban on him, the ICC responded that only the supreme governing body has the right to revoke the ban. Since then, Azhar has been fighting against the decision of BCCI and the latest development is a huge relief for him.

Azharuddin has earlier confessed that he, along with some other team mates such as Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma were indulged in match fixing. BCCI imposed a life ban on Azhar and Ajay Sharma and suspended Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar for 5 years.

Azharuddin, who is the former captain for the Indian cricket team  scored 6,216 runs in 99 Tests and 9,378 runs in 334 ODIs. After he is banned from the game, Azharuddin contested in the 2009 election on behalf of the congress party and had won for the Lok Sabha from Moradabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh.