Pakistan

Left-arm spinner Raza Hassan tests positive for cocaine

Raza Hassan, 22, will likely be banned for two years from all forms of cricket

Nabil Tahir April 15, 2015

PHOTO: AFP

Pakistani cricketer Raza 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," said a PCB official requesting anonymity. "He will be banned for two years from domestic and international cricket."

PCB will soon release a statement in this regard, the official added

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

"The board has established a two-member committee to charge sheet the spinner and seek an explanation from him," the PCB official added.

Hassan, 22, has been advised to hire a lawyer and present his answer to the committee that consists of a sports medicine doctor and former Test player, Naushad Ali.

"The PCB is taking the matter very seriously because this is the first time any player has tested positive for the use of cocaine," a source in the PCB said.

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

COMMENTS (16)

wb | 9 years ago | Reply @Mirza: True. It's mind-boggling how Pakistanis deny everything. Pakistan is fermenting with a massive heroine problem. Yet, nobody even takes notice.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply @Troubled: Guess you don't know anything about cocaine. Nonetheless, forget players. An ordinary citizen with cocaine is usually jailed. That's how the civilized world works. Don't know about Pakistan. I mean, after all, Qadri is your hero. So...

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Mirza | 9 years ago | Reply Let us continue to deny and make it a conspiracy and the best part is tests were conducted by our enemy country. We in Pakistan have nothing to do with drugs. On a more serious note some are justifying the use of cocaine, what a shame. Throw the bum out of the team and ban for a long time. Unless we punish them to full extent of law they would continue to remain hardened criminals and deny when caught.

Timorlane | 9 years ago | Reply God's way to save Pakistani team from Bilawal Bhatti of spin

Humir.as.Armor | 9 years ago | Reply @Adnan Siddiqi: The upper deck cannot be empty and be overwhelmed with cobweb at the same time. One or the other my friend .

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply @Hamdani: Again fault lies with the PCB. Ever since Sethi is incharge these things keep popping up. My friend, your brain has been on a long AWOL for quiet some time now and as a result, your upper deck is not only empty but also overwhelmed by cobweb. I bet that you saw Sethi prepping the coke into a fine powder with a credit card who then rolled a $ bill for Raza Hassan to snort that cocaine. It seems to me that you are also high......but on some real cheap stuff though. Take a break from being a cult worshiping mureed of Deen-e-Imrani every once in a while, it would help you with detoxification.

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply What's this infatuation that cricketers have with coke? Here we have an active 22 year old addicted to this drug and then we have a retired 65 year old junkie cricketer who is moonlighting these days as a politician.

Khan | 9 years ago | Reply really?! Banning him for cocaine? Who cares! Let him snort whatever he likes as long as its not enhancing his performance and giving him an advantage over other players.

US CENTCOM | 9 years ago | Reply Raza Hassan would've been our first or second choice after Saeed Ajmal. Yasir shah has yet to establish himself in the team. Plus Raza had also shown some promise with the bat as well. I am extremely disappointed to say the least! Ali Khan Digital Engagement Team, USCENTCOM

Hamdani | 9 years ago | Reply Again fault lies with the PCB. Ever since Sethi is incharge these things keep popping up. PCB did have a full fledged program on drug awareness. And if a player goes through it, he knows well enough not to divulge in recreational drugs.. as it will cost him his career and livelihood.

GHAZAL | 9 years ago | Reply bairooni haath @ these samples were taken by Pakistani and not by Indians , if you don't trust Indian lab have a recheck, don't punish your player, legally you are not bounded. finding conspiracy in every thing needs some pause. by the way India is known for medical tourism, much research by american and Japanese companies is done in India ,and check your own market you will know strength of Indian pharmaceuticals

Lil party killd no 1 | 9 years ago | Reply Unfortunately this is not how it works - Plus coke is a class A drug and bad for your health - Why would he do this to himself for a few minutes / hours of pleasure. Sad but a ban is must.

Israr | 9 years ago | Reply Waiting for my friends to bash the test results because they were performed in India. The sad fact is a promising career cut short because of lack/absence of self-discipline.

Bairooni Haath | 9 years ago | Reply As usual, conspiracy to defame Pakistani cricket team.......India is afraid of our superformance in world cup and doing everything to defame us........ICC, BCCI and Srinivasan is behind this..

Mickey Dewar | 9 years ago | Reply Another feather in PCB illustrious cap ! congratulation from India!

Troubled | 9 years ago | Reply Cocaine is not performance enhancing. Its like banning players if we detect alcohol or weed in their blood.

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