John Campbell becomes second Windies cricketer to be banned for doping; who is the first?
John Campbell has been banned after being tested positive for doping by Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission. He is the second Windies cricketer to be banned for the same. Who is the first?
FollowIn an embarrassing setback for Windies cricket, opener John Campbell has been found guilty of doping violation by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO). As a result, he has been handed a four-year ban for the offence. On Friday, an independent three-member panel came up with an 18-page decision, as he has been charged with evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection. JADCO also accused him of refusing to give a blood sample at his Kingston home in April, reports Reuters. He has played 20 Tests, six One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a couple of Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for the Windies.
"The panel is persuaded to a comfortable degree of satisfaction that the athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation, namely breach of JADCO rule 2.3. The panel does not find, on the evidence presented, that the athlete's anti-doping violation was not intentional. In the circumstances of this case, the athlete is ineligible for a period of four years," read the JADCO statement.
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In the meantime, Campbell is the second Windies cricketer to be banned for the same reason. As for the first, former wicketkeeper-batter David Murray violated the same. He was the son of former Windies batter Everton Weekes and was often a figure of controversy in the team. He was reportedly addicted to marijuana from a young age.
Murray's habit of consuming drugs had an Indian connection, where they were readily available, as he once opened up to ESPNCricinfo, "A waiter at the team hotel started the whole thing. There was a market near the Gateway of India where you used to get anything, good African marijuana, everything. It's a great place."
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Although Murray was talented, he was overshadowed by his counterpart Deryck Murray. Due to limited opportunities, he joined the West Indian rebel tours and toured South Africa, receiving a lifetime ban in 1983. He is currently in poverty, living in Barbados, while his son, Ricky Hoyte, also played as a wicketkeeper-batter for Barbados in the 1990s.
