Spencer banned for 18 months on drugs charge

Western Australian fast bowler Duncan Spencer has been banned for 18 months after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone, the Australian Cricket Board said on Thursday.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed told a news conference after a seven-hour hearing by the ACB's Anti-Doping Committee that Spencer is barred from all interstate and international cricket for the period.

Spencer, 29, said he had taken injections from July to September last year to improve his everyday life after suffering chronic back pain for the last six years

"The medication was not prescribed for sport," said Spencer, who read out a prepared statement to the news conference and later refused to take questions.

"At that time I did not believe I would be able to bowl again, let alone at the first-class level," he said.

Spencer was randomly tested following the interstate one-day final between Western Australia and New South Wales on February 25 in Sydney.

Spencer was born in Lancashire, England, and moved to Perth in Western Australia aged five. But he made his first-class debut for Kent in 1993 and played for the English county side again in 1994 after also representing Western Australia state in 1993-94.

Spencer has battled back problems since 1994 but returned to play six interstate one-day matches for Western Australia in the 2000-01 season.

Speed said he is disappointed that Australian cricket has spoilt its clean record after 199 Tests had been carried out since the Anti-Doping Policy was formulated in 1998.

"No sport would be pleased that one of its players has been found guilty of this type of offence but I am reassured by the fact that this player was identified and dealt with quickly through the ACB's testing programme and anti-doping procedures," Speed said.

"This decision sends the clear message that cricket will not tolerate any player taking prohibited substances and will move swiftly to deal with any person found to have breached the ACB's Anti-Doping Policy."

Mail Cricket Editor