BCCI allows Yusuf Pathan to resume cricket after five-month ban

All-rounder pleaded guilty for violation of anti-doping rules of the board back in October 2017

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has accepted all-rounder Yusuf Pathan's explanation over his failed doping test and allowed him to resume cricketing activities from January 15, 2018 onwards.

The 2011 World Cup winning all-rounder failed a doping Test which was taken during a domestic T20 match on March 16, 2017 in New Delhi, where he was tested positive for banned substance Terbutaline.

The 35-year-old, who was provisionally suspended following the results of the test, later accepted his mistake and claimed that his dope test came positive because of a medicine which was taken to cure the infection — not to enhance performance.

In a statement released by the BCCI, the board accepted Yusuf’s version and allowed him to resume his cricket career from January 15.

“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,” said BCCI’s statement. “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.

“In all of the circumstances, the five-month period of ineligibility will be deemed to have started to run on 15 August 2017 and end at midnight on 14 January 2018.”

Yusuf, later on his Twitter account released an statement where he thanked the BCCI for accepting his stance and allowing him to resume his career.

Yusuf's statement:
I wish to thank the @BCCI for allowing me to plead my case in a fair and reasonable manner. pic.twitter.com/S83TNUpqxZ

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) January 9, 2018

This story was originally published on NEWS18.