Ryder caught in dope net

New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has been suspended for six months for failing a doping test for banned stimulants he claimed he took in a supplement to help him lose weight, the country's sports tribunal said on Tuesday.

Ryder returned a positive sample after being tested following a match for provincial side Wellington Firebirds against Northern Knights on March 24, the Sports Tribunal said in a release on its website (www.sportstribunal.org.nz).

Ryder tested positive for 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine (PBA) and N, alphadiethyl-benzeneethanamine (DEBEA), both of which are banned in competition, and was subsequently handed a six-month provisional ban on April 19.

Even though Ryder will be free to play again from Oct 19, the batsman said he was "devastated" by his situation.

"Whilst everyone is aware of my well documented battles with alcohol, it's important for me to state that I abhor drug use of any kind, both recreational and performance-enhancing in sport," he said in a statement on the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association website (www.procricket.co.nz).

He added to Fairfax Media that he felt "fortunate", having been worried that his cricket career might have been over.

"Six months was what I was hoping for. It wasn't the worst I could have got," he said.
The tribunal's decision, released on Monday, said the relative lenience of the ban was because it accepted Ryder's reasons for taking supplements.

"The mandatory penalty for this violation is two years' suspension," it read.
"However, the suspension can be less if the athlete establishes how the prohibited substances got in his system and that the taking of the prohibited substance was not intended to enhance his sport performance."

The tribunal added: "We do not need to detail Mr Ryder's evidence other than to say that he expressed a sensitivity arising from public comments about his weight and, as he was in a good space at the time about his cricketing form, he had decided to make a further attempt to reduce weight."