Cricketers to have biological passports taken in ICC's anti-doping drive

02/04/2017

International cricketers will undergo blood tests before the Champions Trophy in June, as per new WADA rules, and their biological passports will also be taken. These measures are part of ICC's drive to prevent the menace of doping from affecting cricket the way it has hit other global sports.

Indian players were given an explanatory lecture on the effectiveness of the tests by an ICC anti-doping team before the first ODI against England in Pune last month, according to a report in the Indian Express. They were told why cricket needs to ensure no player uses performance-enhancing substances.

“Cricket has been WADA compliant since 2006 but our players still only undergo in-competition random tests, where their urine samples are collected. But there are a lot of performance enhancing drugs and steroids in circulation out there which aren’t visible in urine samples but will show up in your blood,". an unnamed BCCI source was quoted as saying.

"Blood-testing is part of what WADA terms ‘smart testing’. The cricketers were understandably wary of having their blood drawn. But they were briefed on how it’s for the good of the game and they agreed."

Cricketers will also need to have their biological passports taken, as it the norm in other WADA-compliant sporting disciplines. Biological passport means that the blood sample collected is preserved for 10 years, and every six months a player will have to give fresh blood samples to compare it with the original sample.

“The blood profile, therefore will be studied every six months. This is a more sophisticated technique, which will help in conducting more targeted tests and provide clearer evidence of doping,” the source said.

Cricket has been lucky enough to have not fully faced the menace of doping. The conventional belief that cricket is a skill-based sport has prevented players from trying out performance-enhancing drugs. Pradeep Sangwan in the only Indian cricketer to have been tested positive for doping.

The emergence of professional T20 leagues across the world means that many cricketers have turned freelancers, and their need to be fit and strong all year round may force them to use performance-enhancing substances.

“In baseball, a game is won or lost with a home-run. The same goes for T20 cricket. It’s a game based on explosiveness in batting, bowling and fielding. The stakes are high and the money is massive and there are so many players now who don’t necessarily come under the scanner of their national boards,” the source said.

Cricketers to have biological passports taken in ICC's anti-doping drive

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