Windies woman cricketer banned for doping

Smartt pleaded guilty to the offence, will be eligible to return to cricket and related activities on March 26, 2012.

PARIS: West Indies women's international cricketer Tremayne Smartt has been banned for five months after failing a drugs test, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Friday.

Smartt, 26, provided a urine sample as part of the ICC's random in-competition testing programme after the conclusion of a Twenty20 International between West Indies and Pakistan, held in Georgetown, Guyana, on September 11, 2011.

Her sample was subsequently tested by a World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory and was found to contain furosemide, the ICC said in a statement.

Furosemide is classified as a 'specified substance' under WADA's prohibited list and is prohibited both in- and out-of-competition.

Smartt argued that the furosemide had been part of a treatment taken to treat swelling in her knee, the tribunal finding that the cricketer "had no intention to enhance her sporting performance or to mask the use of another performance enhancing substance".

She had, however, "failed to satisfy the high levels of personal responsibility implicit upon her as an international cricketer subject to anti-doping rules".

Smartt, who pleaded guilty to the offence, will be eligible to return to cricket and cricket-related activities on March 26, 2012.