Young Indian batsman Prithvi Shaw has been handed eight months suspension by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for doping violations.
Shaw, who made his Test debut in November 2018, is banned till November 15, 2019. However, he is allowed to return to train with the team or use club facilities from September 15, 2019 – for the last two months of his period of ineligibility.
Here is BCCI’s full statement on Prithvi Shaw’s suspension
“Mr. Prithvi Shaw registered with Mumbai Cricket Association, has been suspended for a doping violation. Mr. Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.
Mr. Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI’s anti-doping testing program during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on 22nd February 2019 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline. Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In & Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances.
On 16th July 2019, Mr. Shaw was charged with the commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) Article 2.1 and provisionally suspended pending determination of the charge. Mr. Shaw responded to the charge by admitting the ADRV but asserting that it was inadvertent, being caused by his ingestion of the over the counter cough syrup he had taken for his cough.
The BCCI is satisfied with Mr. Shaw’s explanation that he had taken Terbutaline inadvertently to treat a Respiratory Tract Infection and not as a performance-enhancing drug. Having considered all of the evidence and taken expert external advice, the BCCI has accepted Mr. Shaw’s explanation of the cause of his ADRV, and on that basis has agreed that a period of ineligibility of eight months should apply, together with the disqualification of certain results.
Under BCCI ADR Article 10.10.3, Mr. Shaw is entitled to full credit against that period of ineligibility for the provisional suspension that he has been serving since 16th July 2019. In addition, because Mr. Shaw promptly admitted his ADRV upon being confronted with it by the BCCI, there is discretion under BCCI ADR Article 10.10.2 to back-date the start of the period of Ineligibility to the date of sample collection (22nd February 2019). However, the BCCI ADR Article 10.10.2 also requires Mr. Shaw to actually serve one half of the period of ineligibility. Therefore, further to BCCI ADR Article 10.10.2, the eight-month period of Ineligibility will be deemed to have started to run on 16th March 2019, so that it will end at midnight on 15th November 2019.
Under BCCI ADR Article 10.11.2 a Cricketer may return to train with a team or to use the facilities of a club or other member organization of a Signatory’s member organization during the shorter of:
(i) the last two months of the Cricketer’s period of Ineligibility; or
(ii) the last one-quarter of the period of Ineligibility imposed.
Therefore, Mr. Shaw may return to train with his State team and/or to use the facilities of any club or other member organization of the BCCI after midnight on 15th September 2019.”
Also, there are two more cricketers, Akshay Dullarwar (Vidarbha) and Divya Gajraj (Rajasthan) who have been handed suspensions for doping violations. Akshay has been banned for eight months, till November 9 while Divya can’t play till September 25, serving a six-month suspension.
