The Hidden Drugs Issue

Pakistan’s preparations for the Champions trophy have been anything but orthodox. Having seemingly recovered from the controversy over ball-tampering, they then lost the head of their Cricket Board and the captain, although he reinstated a day later.

The team was thrown into further turmoil by the withdrawal from their squad of their leading quick bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif for the alleged use of nandrolone, a proscribed drug that assists muscle bulk.

To some this will provide further evidence of the skulduggery inherent in Pakistani cricket. “The only thing surprising about the two Pakistan players failing drugs tests”, remarked former New Zealand wicket-keeper, Adam Parore, “is that it hasn't happened sooner”. He shared his doubts about players body shapes and their incredible ability to bowl 25 overs on a searing hot day whilst seeming to get faster.

In comparison to other sports cricket does not have a drugs problem. Most cases have involved the private recreational use of illegal substances, which can hardly be claimed to enhance performance. Yet they have led to lengthy periods out of the game for the likes of Graham Wagg and Ed Giddens. Compare this to the bravado that celebrated Freddie and the lads’ all-night drinking binge following the Ashes victory over Australia. One person’s drug maybe another’s poison, but it is clear that inconsistency and hypocrisy are frequent bedfellows.

If cricket has a drugs issue it is not pot, cocaine or even beer, but something far more menacing. Ex-England fast-bowler Angus Fraser wrote in his column in The Independent of the widespread use of anti-inflammatory or painkilling tablets taken by fast-bowlers.

Ex-captain Bob Willis had to endure ten injections in his knee on the 1974-75 tour to Australia. He still didn’t last the whole series, and spent the next winter on the dole queue. Central contracts now look after the top players in most countries, though the rewards to Pakistanis of £1500-2500 a month compare poorly to what most county cricketers can expect.

Ultimately, the fast-bowler is the proletarian element of any team, for to he lies the extremes of physical labour. To regularly thrust one’s all into the delivery of a ball at 90 MPH will inevitably have repercussions on the body. The career is short, and the rewards have to be enjoyed while they can, for they are an injury away from ineffectiveness.

I am not suggesting that cricketers have used banned drugs in order to stay fit or to speed up recovery. The use of nandrolone as an effective recovery agent is not scientifically proven. I am saying that there are intense pressures on players to maintain their fitness in the circus that has become world cricket. We have a Champions Trophy less than six months before a World Cup, and all teams will play major Test series in between. The time for recuperation is secondary to the opportunity to promote the game, play more cricket and make more money.

The bodies that run cricket create the conditions for abuse by making ever increasing physical and mental demands on players. This, if nothing else, highlights cricket’s place in the greater scheme of labour verses capital. If the 31 year-old Shoaib is served the recommended two year ban, we may not see him bowl again. Cricket will be poorer for his absence.