Top 5 doping cases in cricket

1. Shane Warne (Australia)

Shane Warne

In February 2003, a month before the World Cup commenced in South Africa, Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was sent home following a drug test in which he was found to have traces of the banned prescription drug Moduretic. He claimed that he had taken only one of this ‘fluid tablet’ , on advice from his mother, in order to improve his appearance.

The Australian cricket board set up a committee to investigate the allegations, and found that Warne was guilty of breaching the Board’s drug code. He was banned for 12 months from organised cricket – which he interpreted as an opportunity to prolong his Test career.

However, the WADA took a dim view of the committee’s decision, criticizing the leg-spinner for playing in charity matches while serving his ban; Warne hit back at them for interfering in this matter.

Having served his ‘sentence’, Warne returned to competitive cricket in February 2004 and helped Australia to win a series in India for the first time since 1969. He featured in the 2005 and 2006 Ashes series, retiring at the end of the fifth match in the latter edition. He also led and coached the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, steering them to the inaugural title in 2008. After courting controversy against West Indian Marlon Samuels in the Big Bash League, Warne finally called time on his first-class career in July 2013.