World Cup Winner Yusuf Pathan Fails Dope Test
Discarded India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan reportedly failed a dope test during a domestic tournament last season. The 35-year old, who represented India in 79 international games, played just a couple of games in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed Baroda Cricket Association not to pick the all-rounder.
Pathan had gone on to play the last season of the Indian Premier League because the test results came only later.
The right-handed batsman started the season on a stunning note, scoring two centuries in the season-opener against Madhya Pradesh. However, his form dipped in the next game against Andhra where he could score only one run in two innings before being axed.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the all-rounder failed the dope test after he took medicine when he felt unwell. The dose reportedly contained a banned substance which Pathan was utterly unaware of.
“There was a substance which was in the medicine which falls under the banned list. He took that particular medicine on the advice of the team doctor. He was not aware that the medicine he took had something which was banned,” the source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Pathan is the second cricketer in recent times to have failed the test. In 2013, Delhi’s medium-pacer Pradeep Sangwan, who was recently appointed Delhi’s captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, was banned for 18 months after he failed the test.
The Baroda veteran last played for India in 2012 when the Men in Blue played a T20 against South Africa in Johannesburg. He represented India in 57 ODIs and 22 T20 Internationals, scoring over 1,000 runs with the help of two centuries and three fifties. Pathan’s career, meanwhile, has been on a steady decline in recent years. One of the hardest hitters of the ball in his prime, Pathan was recently released by Kolkata Knight Riders, and it will be interesting to see whether he gets the chance to play in the forthcoming IPL after failing the dope test.
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