Star spearhead Rabada banned for recreational drug use

South African spearhead Kagiso Rabada is expected to still be eligible to face Australia in the World Test Championship final despite admitting to a positive test for “a recreational drug” earlier this year and flying home from the Indian Premier League.

Rabada is now serving a “provisional suspension” under the policies of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, a South African government body, and his availability for June’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s is likely to be confirmed by the institute on Monday.

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada.Credit: Getty Images

Under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations, to which Drug-Free Sport is a signatory, Rabada faces a ban of anywhere up to four years for illicit drug use. However, the ban is scaled back to three months if the athlete can prove the episode was unrelated to sporting performance, and commuted further to one month “if the athlete completes a substance of abuse treatment plan that is approved by the responsible anti-doping organisation”.

Rabada (right) and Pat Cummins could still face off in the World Test Championship final.Credit: Getty Images

At the very least, it is a major setback for Rabada in the lead-up to the showpiece decider, in which he was expected to be the primary obstacle to back-to-back Test match titles for Pat Cummins’ team. He has publicly apologised for his actions.

While Rabada did not specify when the offence took place, two sources with knowledge of the situation speaking on condition of anonymity suggested that the “adverse analytical finding” dated back to the South Africa Twenty20 league in January.

Rabada went on from the tournament to the IPL. He returned home after playing two games for Gujarat, citing personal reasons, but has since returned.

“As has been reported, I recently returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons. This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug,” Rabada said in a statement.

“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations. I am serving a provisional suspension, and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.

“I couldn’t have gone through this alone. I’d like to thank my agent, CSA, and Gujarat Titans for their support. I’d also like to thank SACA and my legal team for their guidance and counsel. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my friends and family for their understanding and love. Moving forward, this moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft.”

Gujarat's assistant coach Ashish Kapoor had earlier stated that the IPL club expected Rabada to return to India and be eligible to play before the end of the tournament.

"We are just waiting for him," Kapoor said. "He might return. He's got some family, personal problems, for which he's gone. Once he's sorted out with that, if it's sorted out in time, he will be back. But we don't know when. We are just waiting as everyone is."

Last year, former New Zealand cricketer Doug Bracewell was suspended for one month after testing positive for cocaine, having his penalty reduced by undergoing a drugs education program.

“It’s not always known what’s in these substances or their strength, which makes them unpredictable and dangerous," Sport Integrity Commission chief executive Rebecca Rolls said of Bracewell.

“Their use is a serious issue at all levels of sport and recreation, and we want to work with both sports organisations and athletes to tackle this problem.”

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