Pakistan cricketer Raza Hasan tests positive for cocaine, likely to face two-year ban

Raza Hasan

Pakistan left-arm spinner Raza Hasan has tested positive for the consumption of cocaine and is likely to face a ban from playing professional cricket for around two years as a result. Tests were conducted at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in India recently after his samples were collected while playing the Pentangular Cup in Karachi.

A two-man inquiry committee has been set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to conduct a probe into the incident, and Hasan has been advised to hire a lawyer in order to give a thorough explanation on the matter.

"The results of the B sample are still awaited but on the basis of the A sample results, the Board has already established a two-member committee to charge sheet the spinner and seek an explanation from him," a PCB source told PTI.

"The PCB is taking the matter very seriously because this is the first time any player has tested positive for the use of cocaine. If Hasan can't clear himself before the inquiry committee, he faces a two-year ban from all cricket."

Hasan, who has played a solitary One-Day International (ODI) and 10 T20 internationals for Pakistan, is by no means the first cricketer to have been found guilty of such an indiscretion. There have been several other high-profile cases over the years, including that of Shane Warne, who was banned from international cricket for a year just prior to the start of the 2003 World Cup after testing positive for a banned diuretic which he used with the intention of making a quick recovery from a shoulder injury.