Cricket great Shane Warne admitted yesterday he had tested positive for drugs arising out of fluid reduction medication he had taken while recovering from a dislocated shoulder.
One of the biggest stars in the game, the colorful Australian legspinner will be sent home from the World Cup -- his final one-day championship -- currently taking place in South Africa.
PHOTO: AP
At a news conference ahead of Australia's game against Pakistan at Wanderers' Stadium, Johannesburg, Warne, who has tested positive for a banned diuretic, announced news that has stunned the sport although he declared his innocence.
``I'm shocked and absolutely devastated to be informed that the test sample which was collected in Australia on the 22nd of January indicated the presence of a prohibited substance,'' Warne told a news conference at the Australian team hotel.
``I am shocked because I don't take performance enhancing drugs in any shape or form.
``I am proud to be in the shape I am at the moment and that is through nothing else but hard work and looking after myself with diet.''
The 33-year-old legspinner dislocated his right shoulder in a fielding accident Dec. 15 in a limited-overs international against England and made a startling recovery to be fit in time for the World Cup, being held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
``I took a fluid tablet before my comeback game in Sydney,'' Warne said. ``The tablet is supposed to dehydrate you and rid your body of any excess fluid. At the time I was not aware that it contained any banned substance.
``I'm confident it will be cleared up soon because previous tests have come back negative and so will future ones.''
ACB chief executive James Sutherland said that, if the second test is negative, the board will ask World Cup organizers to reinstate him to the Australian squad.
``In the meantime we have advised the ICC of the situation and we will apply to the technical committee for approval to replace Shane in our world cup squad,'' Sutherland said. ``We have asked the Australian national selection panel to recommend a replacement.''
He said the results Warne received from the Australian Sports Drug Agency were preliminary and subject to confirmation.
Warne had announced before departing for South Africa that the World Cup would be his farewell to one-day cricket, although he vowed to continue in tests.
The ICC follows the International Olympic Council guidelines on banned substances. Diuretics are banned because they can be used as masking agents to avoid detection of steroids.
Warne described his life as a ``soap opera'' after being stripped of the Australian vice-captaincy in August 2000 after a phone sex scandal with a British nurse he'd met in an English nightclub became one problem too many for the Australian Cricket Board.
Off-field trouble has followed Warne, who is Australia's leading wicket taker in test (491) and limited-overs cricket (288).
That followed another highly publicized incident in New Zealand when he tried to take a camera from a teenager who photographed him with a cigarette while was being sponsored to give up smoking and had said he'd kicked the habit.
In 1994, Warne and Mark Waugh admitted taking money from an Indian bookmaker for pitch and weather information during a tour of Sri Lanka. The pair were fined and reprimanded by the ACB.
Warne had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder in mid-1998 and had a slow recovery before forcing his way back into the Australian squad that won the 1999 World Cup in England.
He was top wicket taker in the championship with 20 and man of the match in the final at Lord's against Pakistan.
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
RSS