Sports and doping go hand in hand. Doping is widely used to enhance performance in competitions and has also lead to cricketers being banned for drugs.
ICC conducts doping control to protect the cricketers from doping and make sure that Cricket remains clean. Doping control is a process where cricketers are tested for the use of prohibited chemicals substances by either urine test or blood test.
Every cricketer is the wholly and solely responsible for any prohibited substance found in their sample. These activities result in the production of more and more cricketers banned for doping.
Cricketers Banned For Drugs
1. Yusuf Pathan
Yusuf Pathan is a former all-rounder in the cricketing world. He was given a suspension for five months when failed a dope test. A sanction ended in January 2018 and BCCI accepted that the violation was due to his negligent behavior. The drug for which Yusuf Pathan was grabbed for consuming is generally found in cough syrup as BCCI stated in their statement. He is at the top among cricketers banned for doping.
2. Ahmed Shehzad
In May 2018 Pakistani Batsman Ahmed Shehzad was banned for four months after he was caught Positive for doping. His urine sample was collected during the Pakistan Cup domestic tournament. The player accepted that he consumed drugs but his intention was not to cheat or enhance his performance. In rehabilitation, he had to give lectures on anti-doping as and when PCB asked him.
3. Mohammad Asif
Pakistan’s popular pace bowler Mohammad Asif failed in a dope test. He was involved in drug-related controversy during the Champions Trophy 2006 for consuming nandrolone and androgen. He got a suspension for the period of one year.
This decision was reversed by the drug tribunal. Again in 2008, the IPL drug Tribunal made this announcement when Asif was found guilty of taking drugs while playing for the Delhi Daredevils. After IPL he was caught with opium 0.24 gms while returning home from Dubai. For which he got detained for 19 days in June 2008.
4. Shoaib Akhtar
While playing against Sri Lanka in Jaipur in the 2006 Champions Trophy Shoaib Akhtar tested positive along with Asif in a dope test. They both were suspended and sent them back home. They both were cleared by an appeal panel later.
5. Shane Warne
The great Shane Warne, the famous Australian spinner suspended for 12 months in 2003. This incident took place just before the World Cup was to begin. Initially, Warne accepted that he took the Fluid Tablet negligently. But Cricket Board charged him for using the prohibited drugs and imposed one year ban. Warne stated he took just two tablets for recovery of his shoulder injury.
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