6 cricketers who have been banned for using drugs

Doping can be one of the worst humiliations for a cricketer in a Gentleman’s game.

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Alex Hales
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Alex Hales. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Alex Hales
Alex Hales. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Although the definition of doping is very elaborate according to World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA), in layman terms doping is the usage of steroids and other drugs in order to enhance the performance in sports with the intent of achieving glory. Now WADA along with various cricket boards conducts random tests on players as a part of their doping test system usually before a major tournament.

Doping can be one of the worst humiliations for a cricketer in a Gentleman’s game. Players once caught go down as no more than a disgrace to the sports, team and off-course the country. There have been a few instances in the past wherein the cricketers have failed in the doping test with the latest one being the case of the right-handed English batsman Alex Hales.

In our article, we give you the list of 6 not – so – gentlemen of the gentleman’s game.

Shane Warne

Shane Warne 1999
Shane Warne 1999 World Cup jersey. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Undoubtedly he is one of the biggest performers not just in the Australian team, but all over the world. The leggie has taken 708 wickets in Tests and 293 wickets in ODI cricket. He was one of the match winners for Australia in the late 1990s and in 2000s. His record speaks volumes about his stature in international cricket.

Apart from his wicket-taking abilities, he was also surrounded by a few controversies throughout his cricketing career. The ‘Bad boy’ of Australian cricket was sent home on the eve of Australia’s first match at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa when he was found guilty of using diuretic (a banned drug). He was eventually replaced by Brad Hogg for the event.

The explanation given by him was that this mother gave him the medicine for weight-reduction. The Victorian was not able to prove his innocence and hence was banned for 12 months from all forms of the sport. He returned in 2004 and continued to be an integral part of his team till his retirement in 2007.

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan
Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

From the Australian bad boy, we will move to the bad boy of Pakistan cricket. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ is one of the fastest bowlers the world has ever seen. He has taken 178 wickets in Tests and 247 wickets in ODI’s.

Akhtar was tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone and was pulled out of the Champions Trophy squad in 2006, just a day before Pakistan’s opening match. He was banned for two years for the offence.

In his defence, he said that he was on a high-protein diet which contained beef, chicken, meat and other supplements and he also took some herbal medicines from an Hakim (Herbal expert) but he could not prove it.

Pradeep Sangwan

Pradeep Sangwan
Pradeep Sangwan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The talented left-arm pacer came into limelight during India’s successful campaign in under 19 World cup 2008. His five wickets against the South Africans was one of the major highlights of the tournament and his career so far. The talented speedster plays for Delhi in the Ranji circuit.

It was in October 2013 that Pradeep was found guilty of using steroid stanozolol and was handed over an 18- month ban expiring on November 5, 2014. The pacer confessed that he had accidentally consumed the steroid when his gym trainer had offered it to him as a remedy for fat loss.

Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming. (Photo by Scott Barbour – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)

One of the nicest guys in world cricket, the former Kiwi skipper is known for his cool behaviour on and off the field. Stephen Fleming is the most successful leader of New Zealand and has scored more than 15,000 runs in his illustrious international career across all formats.

Now, it is a bit shocking to hear that Fleming was also involved in doping. He was not found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, but he was charged with smoking pot along with a few other Kiwi players involving Dion Nash, Matthew Hart as well for enjoyment purposes. This incident dates back to the Windies tour 0f 1993-94 and it was reported to the team management by pacer Danny Morrison who was a part of the tour.

Severe fines were imposed on the trio and they were banned from the remaining leg of the tour. Fleming also admitted that he had lost his sponsorship after the incident.

Abdur Rehman

Abdur Rehman
Abdur Rehman. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The Pakistani left-arm spinner was once the second-choice spinner for the country. He had terrorized the England team with 19 wickets at an average of 16.73. The now 39-year-old from SIALKOT was instrumental in Pakistan’s whitewash over England in the 2012 series. The tweaker has taken 140 wickets across all formats for Pakistan.

It was during 2012 he was found guilty of using cannabis as a recreational drug while playing for Somerset in the English domestic circuit. As a result, he was banned by the English Cricket Board (ECB) for the offence. Later on, he publicly apologized for his error and promised to stay focused in the future. Rehman played his last Test match for Pakistan in 2014.

Alex Hales

Alex Hales o
Alex Hales. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

The latest cricketer in the doping controversy is English top order attacking batsman Alex Hales. The short format specialist has more than 4,500 runs across all formats. He has scored a magnificent 171 runs against Pakistan in an ODI which is his highest score in the format.

In April 2019, he was tested positive for a recreational drug as he underwent a test. For the offence, he was handed over a ban of 21 days by the ECB. He is in the scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup for England and is expected to play a major role in the mega event.

Now, cricket has become more than just a sport. It has become so competitive that in order to win every game and stay fit, players are bound to make such kind of mistakes whether deliberately or not. So, it is the responsibility of ICC and the respective cricket boards to take care of their players perhaps by conducting workshops educating the players about the harms caused by the consumption of steroids.

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