Cocaine confirmed as Rabada’s drug

Rabada is the fifth cricketer among the 435 cases of South Africans from all codes to be nailed for drug use.

Telford Vice / Arundel

COCAINE has been confirmed as the drug Kagiso Rabada was caught using in January, which resulted in his month-long ban from this year’s IPL.

The South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) recorded on its website on Tuesday that Rabada had tested positive for “benzoylecgonine, metabolite of cocaine”. News reports in May prompted the fast bowler to admit to and apologise for his behaviour, but he has declined to say what the substance was.

On May 3, Rabada a South African Cricketers’ Association release quoted Rabada as saying he “returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons. This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug.

“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations.”

Had the substance Rabada used been performance-enhancing and not recreational he would likely have been suspended for significantly longer — and thus missed the WTC final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s, which will start on June 11. But the issue is sure to earn Rabada barbed comments from the Aussies.

Rabada is the fifth cricketer on SAIDS’ list of shame, after Robbie Frylinck, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Rory Kleinveldt and Zubayr Hamza. But he is by far the most high-profile player in those ranks.

Cricket has kept a relatively clean sheet compared to other sports in South Africa. Of the 435 cases on SAIDS' register, 83 involve athletes, 78 feature bodybuilders, and 73 focus on rugby players.

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