List of drug-tainted cricketers

New Delhi:

David Murray, West Indies, 1970s: The son of Everton Weekes, one of the three W's of West Indian cricket, Murray was considered a fine wicketkeeper in the 1970s and '80s. He played 19 Tests before his drug problem came to the fore. Murray admitted he got hooked to smoking cigarettes when he was about 12. He then progressed to marijuana and cocaine. The problem cost him his side to Deryck Murray. He was banned for life for touring South Africa with a rebel side. A sickly and poor Rastafarian, he now peddles drugs to tourists on the beaches of Barbados.

Ian Botham, England (1986): The England allrounder was handed a 63-day ban by the home cricket board after he gave an interview admitting to have used cannabis.

Pakistanis in West Indies, 1993: Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aquib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed did time after being caught by the local police in Grenada. The charges were subsequently dropped and the tour carried on.

New Zealand players in South Africa, 1994: Stephen Fleming, Dion Nash and Matthew Hart, all at the beginning of their careers, received bans for smoking cannabis at a barbecue. The Kiwis had incidentally performed abysmally on the tour and the local board took serious note of the offences.

Ed Giddins, England (1996): Among other things, the fast bowler had been banned for betting on his county to lose a game, and no-balled for throwing. In 1996, he was handed an 18-month ban for using cocaine. He sold Christmas trees in that time, but unlike the illustrious Botham, Giddins faded away quickly from the turf.

South Africans in West Indies, 2001: Herschelle Gibbs, Andre Nel, Justin Kemp, Paul Adams and Roger Telemachus were fined and reprimanded for smoking marijuana during South Africa's tour of the West Indies.

Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif in India, 2006: The two Pakistan pace bowlers tested positive for Nandrolone just as they arrived in India to play the Champions Trophy. Shoaib took a two-year ban while Asif a one-year ban. Both appealed against it and were acquitted in less than two months after testing positive. WADA challenged the acquittal taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Court subsequently dropped the case.

Shane Warne, World Cup, 2003: The Aussie leg spinner tested positive for a diuretic just before the start of the 2003 World Cup. Warne claimed his mother had given him the substance so that he may lose weight to look good on camera. He was handed a one-year ban.

Dermott Reeve, 2004 The former England all-rounder lost his job as a commentator after he admitted to a cocaine addiction and having commentated under the influence during a session of play. Reeve said he had no recollection of what he had said on air and had to look at the tapes to find out.

Maninder Singh, 2007: The former Indian left-arm spinner was arrested for possessing 1.5 grams of cocaine. He was granted bail since the drug was meant for personal use.

Mohammad Asif, 2008: Asif spent 19 days in detention at the Dubai airport after a tiny trace of a banned drug was discovered in his wallet. Asif cleared a drug test, which proved he had not used the drug. The charges against him were dropped after a local court said the offence was 'insignificant'.