Kusal case puts spotlight on WADA

Kusal Janith Perera being congratulated by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera yesterday following a press conference as Sri Lanka Cricket President MP Thilanga Sumathipala looks on 

- Pic by Bhanuka Kirinde 

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed it is looking at legal measures at its disposal after it was announced yesterday that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had cleared Kusal Janith Perera on charges of doping. 

A provisional ban had been imposed on Perera after he had failed a doping test in November 2015, but that has now been lifted with immediate effect by the ICC after a WADA-accredited laboratory in Qatar had withdrawn its original Adverse Analytical Finding following further investigations. 

The news, while no doubt coming as a relief to Sri Lanka Cricket and Perera, is still bittersweet; the ban saw the explosive opening batsman miss Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand late last year, as well as their Asia Cup and World T20 campaigns, while he had also been unable to train or practice with his teammates and national coaches.

“As far as we are concerned, definitely the player [Kusal Perera] has a claim. The Cricket Board will have to decide on their approach to this after consultation with Kusal’s lawyer. We will also take on board advice and direction from the Minister of Sports on how to proceed with this matter,” noted SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala.

Further investigations into Perera’s urine sample were triggered by the work of his lawyers who suggested, through their own findings, that the sources of 19-Norandrostenedione – the banned substance – foundin the sample might have been impurities which were misidentified by the Qatar laboratory as 19-Norandrostenedione, “given the very low concentrations of that substance found in the samples”.

It was in response to this that the ICC hired an independent expert to look into all of the laboratory’s findings, following which it was concluded that “an adverse analytical finding by the laboratory was not sustainable, because, for various scientific and technical reasons, it could not be ruled out that the 19-Norandrostenedione was produced naturally in the player’s body and/or formed in the samples after the player provided them”.

The ICC has to its credit sought an “urgent explanation” from WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and the laboratory involved, while also promising to “immediately review our own internal processes to see whether there might be additional steps over and above those required by WADA that the ICC could put in place in order to give international cricketers further comfort”.

ICC CEO Dave Richardson added: “Had it not been for the diligence of Perera’s legal team and the ICC’s own desire to uncover the explanation for the reported findings, the consequences could well have been different, and that should be of concern to all involved in the fight against doping.”

Sri Lanka Cricket has also acknowledged WADA’s role in the incident, with Sumathipala stating: “The ICC acted on the lab results provided to them by WADA, however we managed to prove that those results were incorrect. We will now take appropriate action, along with the ICC, when dealing with this matter.”

Sumathipala also revealed that the process of clearing Perera’s name had been a lengthy and costly one; nearly Rs. 15 million had been spent on lawyers’ fees, flights to England and France to conduct a polygraph test – whichPerera passed convincingly – and a costly hair sample test, among other expenses.

“A discussion also needs to be had with the ICC with regard to compensation for our costs, as well as who is to shoulder the blame for this mistake,” added Sumathipala.

Perera, for his part, has managed to keep a low-profile throughout this entire ordeal, which he credits in part to the support of his family and friends, as well as to the Sri Lankan public and media to whom he says he is grateful for never doubting him.

“I am very happy to be back. There was a lot of pressure on me during this time, however it was less of a burden because SLC chose to support and believe my story.

“I, of course, have a lot more to say on the matter but this is a very happy time for me so I will discuss it at a later point. At the momentI am just looking forward to training and getting back to playing cricket.”

Perera added that he hoped to join the Sri Lankan team in England butthat having not played competitively for nearly six months, he would need to regain his form and fitness before being able to make a decisive impact for the National side.