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| February 27, 2003 | Thursday | Zul Hijjah 25, 1423 |
Warne won’t appeal against ban
MELBOURNE, Feb 26: Shane Warne announced on Wednesday he would not appeal against the 12-month doping ban he received last week although he added he had no plans to retire.
But while the Australian leg spinner described his punishment as “very harsh”, the official findings of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) anti-doping tribunal, published on Wednesday, said he had been reckless in taking a banned diuretic.
“Although I find this penalty very harsh and I am extremely disappointed that this has happened I have decided that I no longer want to put my family under even more stress. Enough is enough,” Warne said in a statement.
The 33-year-old spin bowler was sent home from the World Cup two weeks ago after testing positive for a diuretic, which can be used to disguise the use of other drugs.
Warne said he had taken a fluid-reducing tablet to improve his appearance without knowing it contained a banned substance.
The report also criticised Warne for the way he conducted himself at the hearing.
“Much of Warne’s evidence on these issues was unsatisfactory and the committee does not accept he was entirely truthful in his responses to questions about his knowledge of the ACB anti-doping policy,” it said.
The dramatic news of his positive test ruined what was supposed to be Warne’s triumphant swansong at the World Cup in South Africa, after which he had planned to retire from One-day International cricket.
When he received the ban at the weekend, Warne said he was the victim of “anti-doping hysteria” and planned to appeal.
“I have decided to accept the decision of the committee on the chin and try to move on and deal with it the best way I can,” Wednesday’s statement read.
He said that he would now be looking at other work opportunities over the next 12 months, but was not retiring from cricket.
“I am definitely going to give it my best shot to get back to the top and will continue to train hard, work on my bowling and experiment with new deliveries,” Warne said.—Reuters
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