In a first of its kind, all cricket teams including India will undergo a blood test for the first time as per the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines at the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
News outlet The Indian Express has claimed that the Indian and English players were given an explanatory lecture about the effectiveness of the tests by an ICC anti-doping team during the recently-concluded ODI series. A BCCI source said that the players were given such an explanatory lecture because the apex body of the game is keen to eradicate the evil of performance-enhanced drugs from the game.
As quoted in the Indian Express, the source said: “Cricket has been WADA compliant since 2006 but our players still only undergo in-competition random tests, where their urine samples are collected. But there are a lot of performance enhancing drugs and steroids in circulation out there which aren’t visible in urine samples but will show up in your blood. Blood-testing is part of what WADA terms ‘smart testing’.”
“The cricketers were understandably wary of having their blood drawn. But they were briefed on how it’s for the good of the game and they agreed,” he added.
Meanwhile, the cricketers will also be issued a biological passport which will keep the records of a player’s blood test. The blood sample collected during the Champions Trophy will be preserved for 10 years and will be compared with fresh samples that will be collected once every six months.
“The blood profile, therefore, will be studied every six months. This is a more sophisticated technique, which will help in conducting more targeted tests and provide clearer evidence of doping,” the source said.
The source further said that the blood samples will also be used for specific growth hormone tests in certain cases.
“You would look at the explosiveness of a batsman or a fast bowler for example and do a growth hormone test just to eliminate the doubt of whether any illegal methods have been used,” he said.
Fortunately, cricket is still very much clean but the advent of T20 cricket and the huge money with it might make the players prone to wrongdoings. And to ensure that they do not take such steps, the new methods can prove beneficial.
“In baseball, the game is won or lost with a home-run. The same goes for T20 cricket. It’s a game based on explosiveness in batting, bowling and fielding. The stakes are high and the money is massive and there are so many players now who don’t necessarily come under the scanner of their national boards,” the source said.
“Urine-testing has so far only given us one positive result. But does that mean we should be happy that cricket remains a clean sport or are we sitting on a ticking bomb? Blood-testing and smart-testing could provide us the answer,” he said.