All-rounder Yusuf Pathan, on Tuesday, was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India after he tested positive for a banned substance, which is found in cough drops. Pathan had played just one match in the Ranji Trophy for Baroda in the recently concluded season and the BCCI revealed that the 35-year-old has been serving a provisional suspension from October 28, 2017.
Pathan had provided a urine sample as a part of BCCI’s anti-doping program during a domestic Twenty20 competition in March 2017 in New Delhi. BCCI, in a statement, revealed that his sample contained Terbutaline, which is specified as a banned substance during and out of competition by Word Anti-Doping Agency:
BCCI said that Pathan had consumed the banned substance inadvertently and not as a performance-enhancing drug.
Here’s the complete statement released by the Indian board: “On 27th October 2017, Mr Pathan was charged with the commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules 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 BCCI is satisfied with Pathan’s explanation that he had taken Terbutaline inadvertently to treat an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and not as a performance-enhancing drug. Having considered all of the evidence and taken expert external advice, the BCCI has accepted 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, 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 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 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.”
Pathan in a statement said, “The prohibited substance was detected in my sample because of a medicine I was taking for a throat infection. 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. In hindsight, I should have been more careful and checked the status of the medications with BCCI’s dedicated Anti-Doping Helpine.’
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