FLAMBOYANT West Indies allrounder Andre Russell has been handed a one-year ban from cricket by an independent anti-doping panel in his Jamaica home land.
The ban is effective from today and will rule the 28-year-old Jamaican out of West Indies’ engagements in Twenty20 and One-Day Internationals this year.
Russell, who has played 51 ODIs, 43 T20 Internationals and a solitary Test, is currently recuperating from hamstring and knee injuries, which forced him to cut short his campaign for Sydney Thunder in the Australian Big Bash T20.
He was subsequently replaced by Barbadian Carlos Brathwaite.
His lawyer Patrick Foster confirmed the ban and indicated he would first discuss every option with Russell, including appealing the suspension.
Russell missed declaring his whereabouts on three separate occasions in 2015 – which equates to a failed drug test under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations.
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission brought charges against Russell in March last year for not making known his whereabouts on January 1, July 1 and July 25 in 2015. (EZS)
