Mumbai: The substance Diuretic (chlortalidone) which was found in Yasir Shah's urine sample is the same one for which Shane Warne was banned for a year ahead of 2003 World Cup, according to the drug expert and the President Elect Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM), Dr. Danish Zaheer.
In 2003, just before the World Cup, Australia's leg-spinner Warne was banned for 12 months for taking a tablet given to him by his mother to get rid of a double chin and look handsome.
"This substance is Diuretic which sometimes is given to athletes by mistake to reduce swelling. It is also used as masking agent to mask Anabolic steroids which are banned substances," Dr. Zaheer, now in Pakistan (from Brunei Darussalam) on a special assignment, said.
"Yasir now needs to establish if this medicine was given by a doctor for the treatment of any injury without realising it contains this substance. Only then he stands a chance for relieving himself of the burden of no fault of his which carries less severe sentence of this offense. The new 2015 WADA code provides this option to athlete to establish this fact that he bears no responsibility of this offense,” Dr. Danish, who is also the Vice Chairman (ISSF Sports Medicine and Anti-Doping Committee) added.
"At this point he has the option of B sample including right to appeal. The burden to prove innocence is on Yasir. Otherwise it may carry the sentence of up to 4 years."
"Yasir has claimed that he consumes this substance to treat blood pressure and took it from his wife's medical supplies. If this is true and he really suffers from blood pressure, then he should have discussed his BP issues with his team physician and should have asked him to declare the TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption) form to seek permission from the ICC or nation's Anti Doping Organization proving that it was absolutely necessary to use this banned substance as no other legal alternative was available to treat his condition," Dr. Danish, whose services were hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when Shoaib Akhtar was banned, said.
"Secondly, whether he declared this substance on his sampling form at the time when sample was collected. If both of these declarations were not present and there is no evidence of Medical history of blood pressure treatment from past few months or years, it would be impossible for him to seek concession on the sanction of 4 years he may have to endue with," the doctor added.
According to the sources in PCB, the urine samples of two other Pakistan players (Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad) were also collected in UAE.
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