HYDERABAD (India), June 11: Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has sought setting aside of life ban imposed on him by the Cricket Board for match-fixing, telling a local court that the BCCI had acted against him with “deep rooted malice”.

As the arguments in the case began, Azharuddin’s counsel Jagdish explained to the Second Additional Chief Judge the circumstances under which his client had filed the suit.

The counsel pleaded that the BCCI had proceeded against Azharuddin with deep-rooted malice and prejudice.

The counsel claimed the inquiry against him, conducted by K. Madhavan, former CBI Director, was only an “eyewash”.

The counsel argued that in view of the large-scale condemnation of the match-fixing episode in the media, BCCI had whimsically imposed life ban on Azharuddin to appease the public sentiment.

It (BCCI) did not evaluate Azharuddin’s performance in the matches, which are alleged to have been fixed, he said.—PPI