SA manager dismisses drug charges

Faisal Shariff

Allegations of substance abuse and drug-enhanced performances seem to be the flavour of the month.

Close on the heels of allegations that some Indian cricketers are on performance enhancing steroids, comes claims from Ray Jennings, coach of South Africa's Eastern Province, that he was aware of Protean stars using performance-enhancing drugs, especially on long tours.

The former international, considered the best wicket-keeper South Africa has ever produced, was quoted in a South African newspaper as saying that players regularly used energy drinks and steroids to keep going, and Protean quicks were especially prone to steroid-abuse.

Jennings, with his hair-trigger lip, has often found himself in official bad books, having once been fired from the post of coaching manager of Gauteng in 1999 for supposedly having "rubbed people the wrong way".

Jennings has called for random drug testing to be made mandatory in the Provincial league, as also in South Africa. And he has the backing of former skipper Kepler Wessels, who said: ''It is crazy that there is no testing in world cricket."

South Africa team manager Goolam Rajah, however, rubbishes the charges. Speaking to rediff.com from his residence in Johannesburg, Rajah said: "The ICC needs to put a proper drug policy in place. What is a banned substance? Anything can be a banned substance. I could take a cough medicine which might contain a banned substance. Till there are no guidelines set by the ICC, all this talk of players using banned substances to enhance performance is baseless."

Asked about Jennings's allegation, Rajah countered: "How many tours has Jennings gone on, I would like to know? A man who can't differentiate between an Asprin and a pina colda doesn't need to lecture the world about drugs in relation to the South African team."

Stating that his team is "completely clean" and has never used performance-enhancing drugs, Rajah said the entire issue is being blown out of proportion.

Also read:
'The Indian team doesn't take steroids'
'Outlook' responds to Gaekwad
Gaekwad makes drugs claim