Top 5 doping cases in cricket

3. Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka)

Upul Tharanga

The left-handed opening batsman fell into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) net after submitting a urine sample following his team’s victory over New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup. It was found to contain traces of two steroids – prednisone and prednisolone, both of which have been banned by the WADA.

Initially claiming that he had taken a remedy for asthma, Tharanga later pleaded guilty to the use of the banned substances, contending that he had utilized a herbal remedy for a long-standing shoulder injury. He was given a three-month ban (from May to August 2011).

After serving his ‘sentence’, the opener returned to the national fold and recently belted an unbeaten 174 against India in the West Indies. He has now become a near-permanent fixture at the top of the order.