New Delhi: Yusuf Pathan’s ‘inadvertent’ violation was the lone blot on Indian cricket’s doping record last year, a WADA report has revealed Tuesday after a scrutiny of 275 samples by the BCCI.
While the WADA report does not name anyone, the player in question is former India player Yusuf, who was handed a retrospective ban of five months by the BCCI, which ended before this year’s IPL.
According to the BCCI statement issued back then, Pathan senior had ‘inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance commonly found in cough syrups’. Yusuf’s backdated suspension was from August 15, 2017 to January 14, 2018.
While Yusuf’s is the only Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF), there are also a couple of Atypical Findings (ATF), which suggests that there must have been some suspicion about the urine sample of two players.
According to the WADA report, out of the 275 samples tested during 2017, 233 were In Competition (IC) testing while 42 were Out Of Competition (OOC).
For 2016, it was former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who had tested positive during IPL but BCCI had then procured a backdated TUE (Thereaputic Use Exemption) certificate for the player and the case was closed.
In 2018, there is one positive dope test and that is of first class cricketer from Punjab, Abhishek Gupta, who is currently serving his suspension.
The BCCI does not come under the ambit of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and its testing is done by Sweden’s IDTM (International Doping Test & Management).
The world cricket also had a nearly dope free year with 389 cricketers being tested by ICC with only one positive result being of Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Shahzad.
Among 389, there were 149 In Competition Testing and 214 Out Of Competition (OOC), besides 26 blood sample collection.
- The 2017 BCCI WADA report says out of 275 samples, 233 were in Competition (IC) testing while 42 were Out Of Competition (OOC).
- ICC has tested 389 cricketers with the only positive resut being of Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Shahzad.
- The only positive dope test of 2018 is of first class cricketer Abhishek Gupta from Punjab, who is currently serving his suspension.
- Yusuf Pathan had ‘inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance commonly found in cough syrups’ and has already served his five-month suspension which ended January 14, 2018