Leicestershire seam bowler Chris Wright – who played for Cumbria last season – has been given a backdated nine-month ban after failing a drugs test.
Wright, 38, tested positive In September last year for Ostarine, a drug which has similar effects to testosterone.
He admitted two charges of breaching England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) anti-doping rules and the suspension has been back-dated to October 2023.
He admitted the charges on the basis that he had taken the banned substance inadvertently and unknowingly and said in a letter that he had not intentionally doped or been reckless or negligent.
Wright was drafted in by Cumbria last season to play in three NCCA Trophy matches in which he took six wickets at 15.00 and an economy rate of 3.46. He scored 42 runs in two innings with a top score of 31.
Leicestershire County Cricket Club said that Wright had been provisionally suspended by the Cricket Regulator in October 2023 after the consumption of a contaminated supplement returned a surprising Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for Ostarine.
Following a hearing on May 1, the panel imposed a nine-month suspension on the player, backdated to October. Taking account of scientific evidence, the panel accepted that je had no intention to breach Anti-Doping rules, and he has since been allowed to resume training at Uptonsteel County Ground.
Leicestershire CCC said they wholeheartedly supported their player throughout this challenging period and would continue to do so as he worked towards a return to playing this month.
On the county website Wright said: “I was shocked to find out that I had tested positive for trace amounts of a banned substance on a single occasion back in October 2023.
“I had been using a fruit supplement at the time, purchased from a well-known manufacturer, which had no sports performance-enhancing capability. I disclosed this fully on my doping control form before I provided a sample, as required, that returned the adverse result.
“I was extremely fortunate that with the help of scientific experts, I was able to identify that the supplement was contaminated with Ostarine, a synthetic substance that ought not be in any food product in the UK, and the ECB accepted this.
“There has been no explanation from the supplement manufacturer as to how that came to be and, as the independent panel’s decision in my case shows, I did not intend to take such substance, nor could I have even known the supplement was contaminated with it.
“The panel found that I bore no significant fault and I am pleased this matter has been resolved so that I can resume playing soon, after what has been an extremely difficult and trying time for me and my family. I am back in training and looking forward to my full return.”
He will be free to play for the county again on July 19.
