10 cricketers who have been banned for drug use

Although the definition of doping is very elaborate in the books of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the general understanding is that the usage of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs with the intent of achieving glory amount to doping.WADA not only maintains a prohibition list forbidding the players and athletes from using banned drugs but also conducts random tests on players as part of their comprehensive dope test system.The fact that doping can be one of the worst humiliations for a player in the Gentleman’s game has done little to curb the nuisance. Stripped of their glory once caught, these players go down in history as no more than a disgrace to the sport.Yet cricketers continue to have their share of infamy, indulging in banned substance abuse for performance enhancement, as masking agents or simply for recreational purposes. With Yasir Shah and Kusal Perera being the latest additions to the list, the author recollects some noteworthy names that have rocked the cricketing world in the last three decades with their disregard for discipline.

#1 Shane Warne

Warne was involved in his fair share of controversies

Undoubtedly the biggest (and the least surprising) name in this list, Shane Warne is among those legends without whom cricket would not have had the appeal that it has today. Having served as one of the pillars of the invincible Australian side in the 2000s, Warne’s statistics in all forms of the game speak volumes about his caliber and status in cricket.

Much as he was celebrated for his wicket-taking skills, Australia’s ‘bad boy’ Warne had an uncanny propensity to attract controversies, courtesy his several antics. One such incident occurred on the eve of Australia’s first match at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa when the spinner was sent home after testing positive for a banned diuretic.

Cricket Australia lent a deaf ear to Warne’s pleas of ignorance and explanations about his mother giving him the medicine for weight-reduction. He returned to international cricket in 2004 after a ban of 12 months and continued to be an integral part of the team till his retirement in 2007.