Pakistani Left-arm spinner Raza Hasan banned for two years after he failed a dope test

Pakistani Left-arm spinner Raza Hasan banned for two years after he failed a dope test

By Asghar Ali Mubarak
Islamabad : Pakistan Cricket Board banned on Monday left-arm spinner Raza Hasan, who played one one-day international and 10 Twenty20 matches for the national side, for two years after he failed a dope test in a domestic competition.

“Raza Hasan has been banned for two years from all cricket after failing a dope test,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.

Read: Left-arm spinner Raza Hassan tests positive for cocaine

In April, the PCB announced Hassan will be banned for two-years from all forms of cricket after testing positive for cocaine at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory in India.

“The tests have been taken and they are positive,” a PCB official had said. ”He will be banned for two years from domestic and international cricket.”

Hassan’s first urine sample was taken during the Pentangular Cup in Karachi in January, and it tested positive for cocaine.

Previously, cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif have also tested positive for banned substances and were dropped from the 2007 World Cup.

Under the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Anti-Doping Rules (“the Anti-Doping Rules”) PCB conducted in-competition dope testing through an independent collecting agency during the Pentangular Cup 2015 held at Karachi. The agency also collected the urine sample of  Raza Hassan cricketer during the match played on January 7, 2015.

The sample was forwarded to a WADA-accredited laboratory for analysis which, vide its Analytical Report, gave an Adverse Analytical finding for the presence of a Prohibited Substance.

Accordingly, Mr. Raza Hassan was issued a Notice of Charge by PCB on March 24, 2015 which he received in person, and as per Anti-Doping Rules he was to send a written request for hearing within 14 days which he failed to do so. Therefore in accordance with the Anti-Doping Rules and with the approval of the competent authority, Mr. Raza Hassan is being imposed with a ban that will make him ineligible to participate in the sport of cricket for a period of two (2) years.

During the period of ineligibility, he will not be entitled to participate in any capacity, in any cricket match or activity (other than authorized anti-doping education or rehabilitation programmes) authorized or organised by the PCB.