The World Anti-Doping Agency has cleared all cricketers tested during the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies after their samples produced negative results for prohibited substances.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed hailed the results, saying it was a positive sign for the image of game. “The fact that all drug tests at the World Cup proved negative is a great result for the game. It sends out a very positive message, something ever-yone connected with the game can be very proud of,” Speed said in a statement on Thursday.
“It also confirms cricket’s reputation for being low risk when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs but that does not mean the ICC, or any of our Members, can afford to be complacent in this area,” he added.
In the premier cricket tournament, 15 of the tournament’s 51 matches, including both semifinals and the final, plus two warm-up matches, were randomly selected for testing.
Two players from each team involved in those matches were randomly selected for testing, giving a total of 68 samples that were submitted for analysis. All match venues had doping control facilities and there were no reported problems or issues.
Samples from matches in Jamaica were flown to Canada for checking, wh-ile samples from all other countries went to London.