Yusuf Pathan has been handed a five-month retrospective suspension for a doping violation after he “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups,” the BCCI said in an official statement on Tuesday.
While playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda in Delhi on 16 March 2017, Pathan provided a urine sample that was later found to contain Terbutaline, a substance prohibited by the WADA (World Anti Doping Association).
The all-rounder, who has played 57 ODIs and 22 T20 Internationals for India, was charged on 27 October for 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".
Pathan has not played for India since 2012 but has been seen in the 2017 Indian Premier League playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pathan’s five-month period of ineligibility began on 15 August 2017 and will end at midnight on 14 January 2018.
Meds With Terbutaline Mistakenly Given: Pathan
Pathan admitted to the anti-doping violation and asserted 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 said they were “satisfied with 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 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.”
Pathan Releases Statement
In an official statement, Pathan said he was confident of being cleared of deliberate usage of the banned substance 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.
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