Say no to drugs testing!

There's a huge tug o' war involving the BCCI, ICC and WADA with other bit-players like the Indian sports minister, FICA & the Olympic Council of Asia offering their opinions on the issue.

Cricinfo does a good job with summarizing the issue, including concerns on all sides.

To me, the BCCI citing security reasons & concern for players as an excuse to not comply with the norms is so funny, sad and ironic. Recent evidence suggests that when it comes to taking care of players, the BCCI is on very thin ground.

• In 2006, the BCCI 'volunteered' its cricketers to play a ODI series in Sri Lanka when South Africa pulled out of tri-series after a bomb blast. Thankfully, that ODI series was rained out almost totally.
  
• Earlier this year, the BCCI agreed to a tri-series in Zimbabwe (South Africa being the 3rd team) despite the dysfunctional nature of the country and a cholera outbreak.
  
• The BCCI has always (and will continue to) got its cricketers play meaningless ODIs as a result of board-level give-and-take policies. Players or support staff who warn of burnout and fatigue are gagged.

The ICC became a signatory to the WADA code in July 2006. Last year, the ICC's board approved the code's adoption for tournaments that it conducts (ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Under-19 World Cup, ICC Trophy, etc.).

The BCCI needs to provide answers to these questions.

• Exactly what were Sharad Pawar (ICC VP) and Shashank Manohar, who are both on the ICC Executive Board, doing when the board made its decision? झक मार रहे थे?
  
• If they were present, were they aware of the implications when the decision was made (even if it wasn't unanimous)?
  
• If they were absent, did they know about the agenda and could they have done something about it?
  
• Why did the BCCI do nothing until the deadline (Jul 31) to convene an emergency meeting regarding compliance with WADA's "whereabouts" clause?
  
• Did the BCCI ever inform its players about the implications of the 'whereabouts' clause?
  
• Why should the rules for India's cricketers be different from cricketers from other countries?
  
• Indeed, why should the rules for India's cricketers be different from superstar sportspersons from other countries?

Labels: bcci, drugs, icc, olympics, wada

Thus spake Jagadish @ 3:41 pm | Sledge/Read 4 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]

IPL doping controversy

An unknown cricket website (cricketnirvana.com) reports that the random testing carried out by WADA during the recently concluded Indian Premier League has resulted in one sample testing positive.

There's a lot of conjecture over who that player could be. We can rule out Shane Warne, who actually only tested positive for a diuretic, since the report mentions a sub-continental fast bowler. Then there's the Pakistani duo of Akhtar & Asif who first tested positive before the 2006 Champions Trophy. They were let off by a kangaroo court committee. But shortly before the 2007 World Cup, they were mysteriously declared unfit for the tournament. There're also a few who've admitted in the past to using recreational drugs (Fleming, Gibbs, etc.)

But I have a sneaking feeling it wasn't a player at all. I think it was Lalit Modi. I'm fairly sure he was smoking something when he kept talking about enforcing bans on teams which fielded ICL players and insisting that players would necessarily have to turn out for their IPL teams in the Champions League even if the team that they normally represented in their country's domestic season qualified.

Labels: drugs, indian premier league, ipl 2008, twenty20

Thus spake Jagadish @ 11:54 pm | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]

Shoaib and Asif declared unfit for World Cup

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will join Brett Lee, and billions of others around the world, and watch the World Cup on television.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said that they had been ruled out since their injuries hadn't yet healed.

They're just being economical with the truth. The very likely reason, like a report in 'The News' around two weeks ago indicated, is that either they failed YAIDT or they still have traces of banned substances in their system and would have failed a drug test (internal or that conducted at the World Cup).

Labels: 2007 world cup, asif, drugs, mohammad, pakistan, shoaib, shoaib akhtar, world cup, world cup squads

Thus spake Jagadish @ 1:34 pm | Sledge/Read 1 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]

High farce in Pakistan

Yesterday, an 'Anti-Doping Appeals Committee' constitued (sic) by the Pakistan Cricket Board, ruled that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif were not guilty of committing doping offences (timeline) since the administration never did anything to warn them against taking supplements.

Almost exactly a month ago, Shoaib and Asif had been banned for two years and one year respectively by the Pakistan Cricket Board's Anti-Doping Commission. On October 16th, Shoaib and Asif were sent home from the ICC Champions Trophy in India by the PCB after failing a PCB-organized pre-tournament doping test.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has not yet reacted to the judgement and are currently awaiting the ostrich's reaction to the decision. (Update: The ostrich has reacted.)

I find this decision highly farcical. Sportspersons who're caught in doping scandals almost always resort to the 'No-one told me about this' stand. Given that the PCB, and the ICC, are signatories to the WADA code, a generic application of the 'exceptional circumstances' clause could invite a further appeal from WADA.

This decision by the PCB's commission comes only a few days after Dick Pound, chairman of WADA, blasted Cricket Australia's 1-year ban on Shane Warne after he tested positive for using a diuretic before the 2003 World Cup, in his book with the shortest title ever, 'Inside Dope: How Drugs Are the Biggest Threat to Sports, Why You Should Care, and What Can Be Done About Them'.

The second farce that happened in Pakistan cricket was the news that Inzamam will return to international cricket tomorrow after the first ODI against West Indies was washed out without even the toss having taken place.

The ICC decided, quite stupidly in my opinion, in 2004 that a game was deemed to have started as long a the toss had taken place. So, in the light of there not having been a toss at Rawalpindi, that game doesn't count as a recorded one-day international.

Hence Inzamam should actually be sitting out for one more game to ensure that he completes his ban period of four one-day internationals.

Labels: akhtar, asif, drugs, mohammad, ostrich, pakistan, shoaib, shoaib akhtar

Thus spake Jagadish @ 5:17 pm | Sledge/Read 5 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]

Mills & Bond, Shoaib & Asif

New Zealand screwed up in semi-final against Australia. They had Australia at 4/2 in the 3rd over. The support cast (Franklin, Oram & to some extent Vettori) didn't continue the job. Once Australia got past 200, I saw no chance of New Zealand winning. The top order then got ripped out by McGrath. Oram and Vettori did a superb job, but Oram getting out to Symonds, of all bowlers, when New Zealand would have reckoned that getting 100-odd in 15 overs was possible, meant the game was up.

What's it about New Zealand and having players whose names go in sync? Like I pointed out nearly an era ago while doing live ball-by-ball commentary for the India v New Zealand test at Mohali in 1999 (yes, the 83 all out one!), they had Horne and Bell - the acoustic openers. Now we have Mills & Bond, not too far away from a publisher of romantic novels.

Two other players whose names will now be in sync forever are Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. The two have now been banned for two years and one year respectively by the PCB's Anti-Doping Commission.

Labels: akhtar, asif, drugs, mohammad, pakistan, shoaib, shoaib akhtar

Thus spake Jagadish @ 10:47 am | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]

Pakistan significantly enhances chances of victory

Pakistan are now officially on track to win the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time. The team thrives under situations where there're controversies and infighting.

A little more than a week after Younis Khan re-accepted the captaincy, the Pakistan Cricket Board revealed that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have tested positive for drugs in an internal test.

Are they out to prove Tim May right? Given they've hardly played any international cricket in the last couple of months, over-work can surely not be the excuse?!

What is it about high profile ICC tournaments and drug intake revelations? Shane Warne before the 2003 World Cup, and now these two!

Given Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer fervently argued for Law 42.3 to be scrapped after his team was accused of altering the condition of the ball, it may perhaps come as no surprise if he now argues that drug testing in sport needs to be scrapped as well.

Labels: 2006 champions trophy, akhtar, asif, champions trophy, drugs, mohammad, pakistan, shoaib, shoaib akhtar

Thus spake Jagadish @ 4:05 pm | Sledge/Read 5 sledge(s)
Did you like the post? [ Subscribe to the blog feed - | | Tweet ]