Cricket is a gentleman’s game, and there are many fans who watch and support it. Cricketers work hard on themselves to get selected for the team. But there are some cricketers who go under pressure. The reason could be anything like peer pressure, not scoring well for the team, or family stress. Many take medical help, but some does not. They choose different methods to keep themselves calm and composed, like drugs, and when caught in action, they get punished by the ICC, which might end their career. Some of the cricketers take medicines before their matches for medical purposes and, without knowing it, consume the illegal substance. The ICC does not overlook it and punishes the offenders seriously. Below is the list of ten cricketers who were banned for doping:
1. Yusuf Pathan
Yusuf Pathan (born November 17, 1982) is a former Indian cricketer who used to play for India in all formats of cricket. He represented India from 2007 to 2012. He was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 Cricket World Cup that India won. While serving for his team, he was charged with doping and banned for five months from cricket. On March 16, 2017, he gave a urine sample before the T20 match, and in the sample, they found terbutaline, which is considered a drug and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The BCCI later confirmed that the cricketer had cough syrup before the match, which contained Terbutaline. Pathan accepted his fault and said he would be careful in the future.
2. Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne (born September 13, 1969; died March 4, 2022) was a former Australian cricketer who represented his national team in all formats of cricket and served his team from 1992 to 2007. He was on his team’s side when Australia won the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Warne was charged with doping prior to the 2003 World Cup and banned for one year. He was found guilty of consuming MoD uretic. He said in an interview that he took only one pill because his mother asked him to for his better performance on the field. The ICC did not overlook the situation and banned him from playing cricket.
3. Andre Russell
Andre Dwayne Russell (born April 29, 1988) is a West Indian cricketer who represents his team in all formats of cricket. Russell received a 1-year ban from 2017 to 2018 because he violated the whereabouts provision, which is equivalent to failing a dope test under WADA rules. Russell, who is known for his smashing hits in cricket, had to back out of the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League. Russell denied all the claims and said that no cricketer should face what he faced during the ban period.
4. Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham (born November 24, 1955) is a former cricketer who represented England in all formats of cricket from 1976 to 1992. Botham was banned for 63 days in 1989 for smoking Cannabis before the match and was found guilty of drug abuse by the England Board of Cricket. His absence from the team was reflected in the match between India and England, where India crushed the England batting line-up and won the series. His comeback made him a terror on the cricket field again, as he was known as one of the best bowlers of all time.
5. Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar (born August 13, 1975) is a former Pakistani cricketer who represented Pakistan in all formats of cricket and is still known as one of the legendary cricketers in the Pakistan cricket world. He served his team from 1997 to 2011. Akhtar was found guilty of doping in 2006, before the Champions Trophy, and was banned from cricket for two years. One day prior to the opening match of the Champions Trophy, Akhtar’s urine test showed the consumption of the illegal substance Nandrolone. He was pulled back from all the upcoming games.
6. Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming (born April 1, 1973) is a former cricketer who represented New Zealand in all formats of cricket from 1994 to 2008. Fleming, who is well known for his calm composure on and off the field, was found guilty of smoking an illegal substance. Back in 1994, Fleming, along with his three other friends, was caught smoking before the match. He was banned from the rest of the series and was fined 175 dollars, which was a big amount that equalled the entire tour’s fee for the player. Fleming accepted the charges and later claimed that his sponsorships were cancelled and smoking caused him a hefty amount.
7. Upul Tharanga
Upul Tharanga (born February 2, 1985) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented Sri Lanka in all formats of cricket from 2005 to 2019. Tharanga was banned for doping before the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In his urine test, he was positive for the banned substance Prednisolone, a drug used by asthmatic patients. Later, Tharanga was not found guilty of drug abuse as he had no idea that the medicine contained the banned substance. The ICC banned him for three months from playing cricket. Tharanga accepted his fault and said he would take care of such matters next time.
8. Yasir Shah
Yasir Shah (born May 2, 1986) is a Pakistani cricketer who represents Pakistan in all formats of cricket. He is known as one of the best bowlers and the joint-second-fastest bowler to take 100 wickets in Test cricket history. Shah was found guilty of violating the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code in 2015. Shah said he took the tablet to control his blood pressure and used it clearly for medical purposes. Despite his claims, he was banned for 3 months for using Chlortalidone, a banned substance on WADA's Prohibited List. After his ban from cricket, Shah came back in legendary form and became the fastest cricketer to take 200 wickets in test cricket.
9. Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Pankaj Shaw (born November 9, 1999) is an Indian cricketer who represents India in all formats of cricket. In 2018, Shaw became the second-youngest cricketer to make a test century. He is well known for his smashing hits in the field. Shaw was found guilty of using illegal substances. Shaw claimed he took cough syrup prior to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on February 22 in Indore, and after that, he gave a urine sample. His sample came out, and in it, it was shown that he had consumed terbutaline, which is prohibited in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances. The BCCI had said that Shaw had "unknowingly consumed a banned substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups". Despite all this, Shaw was banned for eight months from playing cricket.
10. Mohammad Asif
Mohammad Asif (born December 20, 1982) is a former Pakistani cricketer who represented Pakistan in all formats of cricket from 2005 to 2010. Asif was involved in many illegal activities and was found guilty many times for using illegal substances. In 2006, he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone, and he was pulled out of the 2007 T20 World Cup. He was detained at the Dubai airport for carrying an illegal substance with him. In 2008, he failed the drug test again and was not allowed to play the rest of the matches for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. Due to many controversies, his cricket career was cut short. Later in 2016, after his scandals and ban series, he was allowed to play cricket, and he played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in October 2016 representing the Water and Power Development Authority.
