The 2003 World Cup was plunged into another crisis on Tuesday when legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was sent home after failing a drugs test.
Warne, voted one of the cricketers of the century and widely regarded as one of the greatest leg-spinners of all-time, failed the test after taking a diuretic used to aid weight-loss but added that he did not know that the substance involved was on the banned list.
The player (33), who was withdrawn from the Australia team to play Pakistan in their World Cup opener today, insisted that he was innocent and that he was thinking of returning to the competition if the B-sample was proved negative.
"I'm shocked because I do not take performance-enhancing drugs and never have and do not condone them in any way, shape or form," said Warne, who overcame a serious shoulder injury last month to make the World Cup team.
The first sample was taken in Sydney but the B-sample will be tested on his return to Melbourne and the player, who had already said that this would be his last World Cup as he intended to focus on his Test career, is adamant that he wants to clear his name.
"I'm proud to be in the shape I'm in at the moment which is due to nothing other than hard work and looking after myself with diet," said Warne.
"I did take a fluid tablet before my comeback game in Sydney [on January 23] which I did not know contained a prohibited substance," added Warne.
The Warne revelations are the last thing the organisers would have wanted after the first few days have been dominated by England's continued dithering over their proposed boycott of Thursday's scheduled game against Zimbabwe in Harare.
After days of claim and counter claim, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finally lost patience with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) late on Monday.
The ICC told the English board it was time "to make up its mind" about whether they were going to boycott their World Cup opener. According to the ICC, the ECB had "repeatedly avoided providing a direct answer to a simple question."
A decision is expected on the crisis later today as the row continues over the financial fall-out from a boycott which could lead to millions of dollars.
AFP