ICC promptly diverts Champions Trophy tour away from PoK cities after BCCI’s objections
The original tour schedule included cities like Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad, which fall in the PoK region, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan.
Even though former Indian batsman Yusuf Pathan has been banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for failing a dope test, he will be available for the mega Indian Premier League player auction 2018. IPL player auction will take place on 27 and 28 January 2018 at Bangalore.
The Baroda cricketer’s suspension for five months has been back dated from August 15, 2017 and it will end on January 14, 2018. Pathan will be eligible to play cricket from 14 Jan and that will make him available for the mega auction event.
Previously, Yusuf Pathan was a part of Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise Kolkata Knight Riders but he has not been retained by the team management and therefore will be available for the auction on 27 and 28 January.
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“Mr Yusuf Pathan has been suspended for a doping violation. Mr Pathan had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups,” BCCI said in a press release.
“The BCCI is satisfied with Mr Pathan’s explanation that he had taken Terbutaline inadvertently to treat an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) and not as a performance-enhancing drug. Having considered all of the evidence and taken expert external advice, the BCCI has accepted Mr Pathan’s explanation of the cause of his ADRV, and on that basis has agreed that a period of ineligibility of five months should apply, together with the disqualification of certain results,” release further adds.
Responding to the ban, Yusuf said, “Competing for India and my home state Baroda has been a matter of immense pride and encouragement for me and I would never act in any manner to bring my motherland or Baroda, in any kind of disrepute.”
“In hindsight, I should have been more careful and checked the status of the medications with BCCI’s dedicated Anti-Doping Helpline,” he added.
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