South Africa star Kagiso Rabada banned for recreational drug use; Indian Premier League; IPL; Australian cricket; Pat Cummins; BCCI; World Test Championship
“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations. I am serving a provisional suspension, and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.
Loading
“I couldn’t have gone through this alone. I’d like to thank my agent, CSA, and Gujarat Titans for their support. I’d also like to thank SACA and my legal team for their guidance and counsel. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my friends and family for their understanding and love. Moving forward, this moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft.”
Gujarat’s assistant coach Ashish Kapoor had earlier stated that the IPL club expected Rabada to return to India and be eligible to play before the end of the tournament.
“We are just waiting for him,” Kapoor said. “He might return. He’s got some family, personal problems, for which he’s gone. Once he’s sorted out with that, if it’s sorted out in time, he will be back. But we don’t know when. We are just waiting as everyone is.”
Last year, former New Zealand cricketer Doug Bracewell was suspended for one month after testing positive for cocaine, having his penalty reduced by undergoing a drugs education program.
“It’s not always known what’s in these substances or their strength, which makes them unpredictable and dangerous,” Sport Integrity Commission chief executive Rebecca Rolls said of Bracewell.
“Their use is a serious issue at all levels of sport and recreation, and we want to work with both sports organisations and athletes to tackle this problem.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
