Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
DR. WARREN Blake, a local member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has cited recent revelations about drug cheating in baseball as a possible warning sign for cricket authorities.
Pointing to some of the similarities between the two sports, Dr. Blake contends that there might be parallel temptations to indulge in performance enhancing substances.
"In both sports participants hit a ball and you chase the ball; in one you run around a field and in the other you run between both ends of the pitch and in the same way that we know drugs have been used to enhance performance in baseball, it could be used in cricket," he suggested.
The fortunes of West Indies cricket have dipped significantly over the past decade, while some of the other teams have advanced, displaying superior fitness and dexterity, along with their batting and bowling form.
Concerns raised
Dr. Blake is now questioning whether the sharp differences in performance are entirely due to natural ability or to factors not sanctioned by the governing authorities.
And, noting what he cites as a greater level of aggression displayed by some players in the field, "throwing themselves all over the place and reaching balls you would not expect them to go for a four or a six", the medical expert is wondering whether this level of aggressiveness "could be the result of a side effect of anabolic steroids".
Level grounds
In welcoming the decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to join WADA, Dr. Blake told The Gleaner that this should "level the playing field" for all participating countries.
It had long been a concern, he said, that one of the reasons that the West Indies has been consistently beaten in recent years "could be that some of the major nations, which did not want to sign the WADA code - their supremacy could have been tainted. If our guys are just horrible and no good then so be it, but it should never be clouded and you are left to wonder if you are being beaten by people who are cheating".
Dr. Blake, a vice president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), is also concerned that some young fast bowlers, wanting to generate speed in their run-up to the wicket, might also resort to performance-enhancing drugs.
"The thing about anabolic steroids is that they enable you to produce muscle mass and give you that aggressive edge, both of which qualities help you to engender speed. This is one reason why these drugs are used in track and field and why they might be used in cricket because people want to be able to run faster and deliver the ball faster and some may resort to cheating to enable them to generate more speed".
Dubious history
In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Shane Warne, a spin bowler, ironically, with the all-conquering Australian team, made dubious history when he was sent home and suspended for one year for his use of a banned substance.
Warne was charged, specifically, with using "a prohibited method to enhance performance" after it was discovered that he had taken the prescription drug Moduretic. He claimed that he had taken the drug on the advice of his mother to reduce his weight.
The disciplinary panel decided not to impose the prescribed two-year ban against Warne because, ultimately, it was concluded that the drug would have had no performance-enhancing effect.
Dr. Blake remains skeptical about the related motives, however, and cites this as another example of the importance of cricket adhering to the WADA regime. This regime, he points out, has a standardised two-year ban for first offenders, which would have applied to the Warne case.
