Yusuf Pathan Suspended By Indian Cricket Board For Doping Violation

All-rounder Yusuf Pathan has been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a doping violation, the Indian cricket board said in a statement. The BCCI stated that a urine sample provided by Pathan on March 16, 2017 was tested and found to contain 'Terbutaline'. However, Yusuf's suspension has been backdated and he will be eligible to play from January 14 onwards. "Mr Yusuf Pathan has been suspended for a doping violation. Mr Pathan had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups," BCCI said in a press release.

"Mr Pathan had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing program during a domestic T-20 competition on 16th March 2017 in New Delhi. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline. Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In & Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances."

"On 27th October 2017, Mr Pathan was charged with the commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) Article 2.1 and provisionally suspended pending determination of the charge. Mr Pathan responded to the charge by admitting the ADRV and asserting that it was caused by his ingestion of a medication containing Terbutaline that had been mistakenly given to him instead of the medication prescribed for him, which did not contain any prohibited substance," the statement added.

"The BCCI is satisfied with Mr Pathan's explanation that he had taken Terbutaline inadvertently to treat an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) and not as a performance-enhancing drug. Having considered all of the evidence and taken expert external advice, the BCCI has accepted Mr Pathan's explanation of the cause of his ADRV, and on that basis has agreed that a period of ineligibility of five months should apply, together with the disqualification of certain results."

"Under BCCI ADR Article 10.10.3, Mr Pathan is entitled to the full credit against that period of ineligibility for the provisional suspension that he has been serving since 28 October 2017. In addition, there is discretion under BCCI ADR Article 10.10.2 to back-date the start date of the period of ineligibility still further on account of Mr Pathan's prompt admission of his ADRV upon being confronted with it by the BCCI, and under BCCI ADR Article 10.10.1 on account of the delays in the results management in this case that are not attributable to Mr Pathan. In all of the circumstances, the five-month period of ineligibility will be deemed to have started to run on 15 August 2017 and end at midnight on 14 January 2018," concluded the release.

Meanwhile, Yusuf has said he was confident of being cleared of deliberate usage and vowed to be more careful in future.

"Competing for India and my home state Baroda has been a matter of immense pride and encouragement for me and I would never act in any manner to bring my motherland or Baroda, in any kind of disrepute," Pathan said in a statement.

"In hindsight, I should have been more careful and checked the status of the medications with BCCI's dedicated Anti-Doping Helpline," he added.

After Delhi pacer Pradeep Sangwan, Pathan is the second Indian cricketer to have failed a dope test. Sangwan was suspended for 18 months in 2013 after a test returned positive.

Pathan has played 57 ODIs and 22 T20 Internationals for India. However, Pathan has failed to get a book a berth in the Indian squad for some time now. He last donned the India jersey against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2012.

(With PTI Inputs)