Dr. Zafar Iqbal, the head of the Sports Medicine Department at Crystal Palace FC, has said that he does not see any controversy in using a prohibited substance for Mohammad Rizwan ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final against Australia.
Recently, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) doctor, Najeebullah Soomro, had revealed that Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, was injected with a prohibited substance ahead of the important clash of ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
The former head of sports medicine of Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur said that an athlete can use prohibited medicine if there is no alternative as the management had applied for a Therapeutic Use Exemption which allows any athlete to use medication normally prohibited.
“There is no controversy. An athlete had an illness and was given a medication normally prohibited but necessary with no alternative possible. A TUE was applied for and granted before he competed. This happens all around the world. Where issues arise is where no TUE applied/granted.”
There is no controversy. An athlete had an illness and given a medication normally prohibited but necessary with no alternative possible. A TUE applied for and granted before he competed. This happens all around the world. Where issues arise is where no TUE applied / granted. https://t.co/GpHmRPPjil
— DrZaf (@sportsdrzaf) May 10, 2022
It is pertinent to mention here that the International Cricket Council had suspended several Pakistani players in the past after they were found guilty of using the banned drugs. The likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Raza Hasan, and Yasir Shah were suspended for violating anti-doping rules.
