Dope test: Yasir appears before medical panel as PCB vows ‘zero tolerance’
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LAHORE: Pakistan's suspended legspinner Yasir Shah has appeared before a medical panel tasked with determining why he failed a drug test, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said Monday as they vowed “zero tolerance” toward doping.
The 29-year-old spinner was provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday after testing positive for chlorthalidone, a diuretic used to treat hypertension that is listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list of masking agents.
Shah, whose test was conducted on November 13 during the one-day series against England in the United Arab Emirates, has recently emerged as a match-winner in Test cricket and the world's highest-ranking spinner in the format.
A statement by the Pakistan Cricket Board said: “Pursuant to receipt of the notice of charge issued by ICC to Shah, PCB will examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged charge and shall fully assist the ICC in arriving at a fair and just outcome.”
“PCB has a zero tolerance policy towards the use of prohibited substances in cricket and has in place a strict regime which monitors and regularly imparts education relating to the ICC anti doping code,” it added.
Shah has seven days to decide whether to request a test on a second urine sample, and another seven days after that (14 from the day of suspension) to decide whether to plead guilty.
He faces a possible ban of two to four years and is likely to be replaced by left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar in the national training camp for the tour of New Zealand.
Shah has taken 49 Test wickets this year, including 24 in Pakistan's 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka and 15 in two of the three Tests against England, a series which Pakistan won 2-0.
Last year he took 12 wickets to help Pakistan beat Australia 2-0 and emerged as replacement for ace spinner Saeed Ajmal, who struggled with a remodelled bowling action after it was reported in 2014.
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Comments (49) Closed
Dec 28, 2015 06:12pm
Do these cricketers read cricket code of conduct ?? A very sad end to a good start !!
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Dec 28, 2015 06:18pm
either way he will get the ban...like kushal perera..better forget him now...if 4 years ban and without international cricket he will be out of the game.....
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Dec 28, 2015 06:26pm
yes zero tolerance for match winners like amir and yasir shah but all the tolerance in the world for flops like azhar and hafeez.. who think it is their father's team and not the national team of pakistan.. good going PCB
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Dec 28, 2015 06:26pm
Make an example of people who take things for granted and cause controversies.No one is above the law no matter how talented that individual maybe.
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Dec 28, 2015 06:40pm
Have no sympathy for Yasir. My suggestions to all cricketers is to have some education. Lack of education results in these type of situations.
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Dec 28, 2015 06:41pm
No one is above law
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Dec 28, 2015 06:42pm
Spinner failing a dope test. Well hope he has a long and relax stay at home, if guilty. What if he was framed. You wouldn't know. Always before a big tournament in India, Our top player is suspended or banned. Big 3.
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Dec 28, 2015 06:49pm
@Ali-Dublin India would love to see him part of Pakistan team as they play him comfortably. It is not for India but for PCB and Yasir to come clean on doping test
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Dec 28, 2015 06:54pm
Why does PCB wake up after the effect. Where was PCB medical board before the incident ? Why don't they monitor the players themselves. When the players bring bad name for the country they wake up and start doing inquiries. Poor management.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:00pm
@Ali-Dublin - The last time Yasir Shah played against India he was hit for almost 8 runs per over in a one day match. India would actually love to have someone who gives 8 r/o in the opposite team.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:09pm
It's pcbs fault. Most of Pakistani players aren't truly educated and pcb is responsible for educating them but pcbs own management gives one a good idea how good they are in this department
@saqib expressing reservation isn't crime or indiscipline. It's again pcbs fault that they didn't educate players. You are expressing anguish over azhar and hafiz but don't forget Kp was ousted by his team members.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:17pm
lack of education and awareness has led to this
we have a culture of taking things casually on international level and not first time where someone is victim because of no awareness
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Dec 28, 2015 07:19pm
Can someone find out who prescribed these medication and for what?
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Dec 28, 2015 07:19pm
It seems PCB will have to conduct a dope test of all Pakistan players on daily basis.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:20pm
Team Pakistan! Where is the professionalism?
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Dec 28, 2015 07:20pm
What if the PCB medical team messed up when treating him? Should Yasir pay for that with a 2-4 years ban?
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Dec 28, 2015 07:30pm
Knowing educational back ground of these players PCB is partially responsible for this too. We all know some people out there in ICC don't like Pakistan and each time Pakistan cricket get match winner like Yasir Shah these forces get active to do whatever they can to stop these players from playing. Amir can be next target so PCB please cover all bases before put Amir back in National team.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:30pm
@saqib Yes! zero tolerance who do not follow the code of conduct. Do you think it is wrong? Do you want the whole nation to follow A NEW CODE OF CONDUCT on the basis of Amir and now Yasir ?
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Dec 28, 2015 07:34pm
If the drug was to enhance his performance he should be give a sentence equivalent to what Shane Warne rec'd.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:41pm
If Yasir was taking a medication that contained the mentioned substance then he should have informed the PCB or the ICC of it. In this scientific age, you cannot get away with these illegal tactics for too long and there are several examples out there to learn from, like Lance Armstrong, etc.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:43pm
Yasir could not have taken medications by himself. PCB has to find out who prescribed Chlorthalidone for him. I suspect he was treated with Steroids during his back spasm before first Test against England. To mask that this banned diuretic was given. PCB's non-professionalism ruins another star.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:44pm
Another World cup another Pakistani cricketer being banned. Nothing new here. You keep banning and we keep producing.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:49pm
I think BCCI was responsible when same thing happened to Warne and Lance Armstrong.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:56pm
I think PCB is responsible for whole mess. How the foreign players pass the test? Who educate them?
Moreover, why Pakistani players are immediately banned.
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Dec 28, 2015 08:08pm
Congrats to Mr Sethi, another one bits the dust!
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Dec 28, 2015 08:09pm
When will Pakistan cricketers learn?The on going controversy to include convicted explayers into the national team has divided public opinion. This national humiliation of 5 years ago should have been a lesson for all to learn from. Can we blame collective mismanagement,illiteracy,total stupidity,lack of discipline, absolute overt cheating? Can we please stop blaming others for these serious misdeeds. Pakistan cricket team will receive a very hostile reception when they play in England this coming summer given the history of their last tour and now this!Incredible thing is that no one higher up seems to take any responsibility for such serious actions., but then it runs in every system in the country. We who live abroad have to hang our heads in shame where as being ' TEZ,is ingrained in the DNA of my fellow countrymen. Really sad. Will not be the last time either!!
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Dec 28, 2015 08:35pm
If something is not done immediately and pakistan cricket is not revamped from
A to Z...this game will evaporate in Pakistan, we are already drowned ...
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Dec 28, 2015 08:39pm
Forget World Cup. Was it a deliberate action by Yasser.He is not a kid by the way.
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Dec 28, 2015 08:40pm
Why does a spinner needs performance enhancement drug?
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Dec 28, 2015 08:50pm
And where are all the advisors in PCB, as always not doing their jobs. A laymen does not know and will never know the ingredients of any medicine, Team Doctor should be taking care of these issues. PCB itself is a total failure and not these players.
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Dec 28, 2015 09:11pm
Let's not jump the guns and accept decision without actually looking at the facts. From what I am reading from few intelligent and knowledgeable individuals. it's not an enhancement drug for hypertension.
It is somewhat obvious that Yasir did not know what he was taking but relied on the Doctor who prescribed it, like the old saying, little knowledge is dangerous knowledge. If it was used for masking something else than PCB must take blame for not monitoring or just simply being ignorant. I am very confident he will be cleared with a warning. Wishful thinking
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Dec 28, 2015 09:25pm
So sad and shameful. Why Shah? what a great start and end up in this way. No morals and no self respect. PCB should enforce strictly zero tolerance and conduct periodic
test.
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Dec 28, 2015 10:07pm
Very sad drugs and cheating should not be tolerated. If after investigation it is found he took the drug knowingly then he should be banned for life. If it was as part of medication for an ailment then PCB should also be taken to task for not looking after their players.
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Dec 28, 2015 10:25pm
Why do these green-shirt cricketers get involved in dubious and controversial activities especially when they start performing better at the international level?
I leave the answer to this intriguing and interesting question to the educated, enlightened, enduring and excelling readers and writers of this great DAWN forum.
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Dec 28, 2015 10:36pm
The PCB should realize that most of the players are illiterate and have no idea about these banned substances. Heck, even I didn't know about this chlorthalidone.
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Dec 28, 2015 11:54pm
@Zaidi it hides the traces of other banned substances that one takes.
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Dec 28, 2015 11:57pm
What a waste of talent. Yasir has only himself to blame. Why don't we follow the rules? This is mind boggling, another exceptional talent is going to be down the drain now.
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Dec 29, 2015 01:22am
Another case of incompetent doctors in the country. They failed to explain the implication of performance enhancing drugs and the drug testing procedures and screening. Getting caught is the biggest crime and it is the job of the medical staff to do their home work and teach the athletes the long term side effects of the drugs. Undernourishment and lack of physical fitness is the reason behind to get ahead overnight and compete on International levels. The PCB operatives lack vision and fail to see this again and again.
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Dec 29, 2015 01:28am
@Ali-Dublin Then what PCB is doing.. Is everybody in PCB so dumb that they can not get even an innocent player off the hook..
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Dec 29, 2015 02:25am
@arindam sorry according to the big 3 india at the moment seems to be well above the law very ironic isnt it a big world t20 tournament round the corner and pakistani world class spinner has to get ban something he is not educated to relating medical substances another coincident? or what the hell is going?
i say desolve big 3
all charges back to ICC
and revamp PCB!!!!!!
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Dec 29, 2015 02:43am
@Zaidi it was a diuretic. Apparently, it causes fluid loss and is a masking agent for other drugs. It does not enhance performance on its own.
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Dec 29, 2015 02:47am
@Peter Parvez Masud I do think the doctor who prescribed him this drug should be held more accountable but even so, Yasir will probably still face a one year ban.
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Dec 29, 2015 02:53am
Just hope he is able to show that he took it unintentionally. That would get him a one year ban. If intentional, he may be looking at upto 4 years.
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Dec 29, 2015 03:24am
PCB should conduct these test before and after any series and they should be the one suspending the guilty cricketers. Deterring the players from the start can only prevent further infamy of PCB/Pakistan.
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Dec 29, 2015 03:57am
It only goes to show that PCB has failed Yasir, they did not educate him enough as to the consequences of taking medication without consulting the team doctor But if Yasir knew all this and took the medcation reardless than the matter is serious. The lad is indisciplined.
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Dec 29, 2015 05:03am
That's why He was able to take so many wickets
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Dec 29, 2015 05:34am
@Mustafa - Agreed.
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Dec 29, 2015 06:05am
Good bye yasir. This is is the treatment we always make with those who give us a lot.
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Dec 29, 2015 07:33am
This also comes back to bite PCB. Now our legy the fastest to get to 50 test wickets might be out for at least two years. Man another bust the dust...
After all what has/had happened to our star bowlers why don't PCB has representative/agent/advisor for them by taking/making step/decision for them. High caliber players need protection for the interest of national cricket.
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