The West Indies team has been hit by controversy on the eve of the International Cricket Council’s Twenty20 World Cup in India that starts next Tuesday.

Top alrounder Andre Russell, who is expected to play a major role in the regional side’s attempt to win the coveted trophy, could be hit with a two-year ban from the game as a result of an anti-doping violation.

It was revealed today that the talented Jamaican cricketer had committed an “anti-doping whereabouts” violation. According to the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO), Russell, has reportedly missed three drug tests in a 12-month period, which equates to a failed test under doping laws.

“We received notification of Russell’s violation about two weeks ago and I’ve appointed a panel to hear his case,” JADCO independent disciplinary panel chairman Kent Pantry told international news agency Reuters today.

 

see related article WIPA facilitates WADA anti-doping workshops

 

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Jamaica is the only Test-cricket playing country where the strict "whereabouts" WADA rules are applied to cricketers as well as athletes.

In England and India, for example, cricketers don't have to abide by the whereabouts rules.

In athletics, they take drug-testing far more serious than they do in cricket. And Jamaica is just applying the strict drug-testing rules in athletics to cricket....

There's a reason why more drug cheats are caught in athletics than in cricket. Indians may claim that whereabouts infringes in the privacy of their beloved cricket stars, but the whereabouts rule ensures that doping in the off-season is very difficult.

As for Russell, it's probably sheer carelessness on his part.

In reply to mikesiva

Is Russell still eligible for the WT20?

In reply to FanAttick

if he was a track and field athlete the answer would be no but because he is a cricketer the answer will probably be yes.

as a youngster Russell ran 100m for Clarendon college so he should know better.

In reply to mikesiva

this could cost him big.

In reply to mikesiva

Really? I know he aware of him being the goal keeper for the Manning Cup football team, but never knew about him running 100m.

In reply to mikesiva

JADCO always eager to impress.

In reply to JahJah... especially after being criticized recently.

what is he running from?

In reply to mikesiva

Clarendon or Glenmuir?

In reply to cricketest

So what if the man likes to draw a likkle weed, especially between tournaments?

That just might be therapy for those niggles resulting from playing the game as hard as he does.

In reply to Drapsey
I was about to say something,but slightly different that is,a cricketer had some weed a day before a match,how is that an advantage over the opposition.Police doh even lock yuh up now when they catch yuh with ah bit ah weed.

In reply to camos and Jah Jah

"You're Jamaican. How quick are you over 100 metres?
The last time I did one was in my school days. It was 10.45 [seconds], but that was very fast."

more here

"But cricket is not the first sport that young Russell has shown great promise in, as he was a top goalkeeper in the daCosta Cup football competition for Clarendon College. In fact, his father was somewhat surprised when he decided to take up cricket."

And here

is it a doping violation
or a doping test violation

???

But did he violate any ICC doping law, which would ban him from the T20 WC, or any ICC games? Does ICC even have a doping or drug testing law? I ask these questions because I know several current and former test cricketers that were doping and some of the would take their weed during a match

In reply to sandisha
Weed is on the WADO list...why not alcohol? Missing 4 required testing sessions in a row is considered a doping offence.. with the same consequences as if actually taking a banned substance.

[b]In reply to mikesiva[/b

can't remember,was not fast did mile. I tell people in the US often, that every high school kid in Ja knows his/her 100 meters time.