Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has sharply criticised the secrecy surrounding South African pacer Kagiso Rabada’s failed drug test, calling the situation “extremely wrong” and demanding full transparency from cricket authorities.
Rabada recently revealed he is under a provisional suspension after testing positive for a banned recreational substance during the SA20 league in January. The fast bowler had left the IPL last month after featuring in only two matches for Gujarat Titans, citing “personal reasons” — a claim Paine finds misleading.
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“It stinks. I don’t like this use around personal issues, and it being used to hide stuff that isn’t a personal issue,” Paine told SEN Radio. “If you have a professional sportsman that’s tested for recreational drugs during a tournament in which he is playing, that doesn’t fall under personal issues for me.”
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Paine argued that such matters fall under breach of contract and require public accountability. “Taking drugs — recreational or performance enhancing — is not a personal issue that can just be hidden for a month. A guy can be taken out of the IPL, moved back to South Africa and we just let it slide under the rug,” he said.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) mandates a suspension of three months to four years for recreational drug use. However, no official clarity has been offered about Rabada’s exact offence, punishment duration, or overseeing body.
Paine added, “If he is going to take drugs and be caught doing it, I think people deserve to know what he’s taken, how long he is being rubbed out for, and who sanctioned it.”
