Keith Barker: Hampshire bowler free to play from July 4 after 'administrative error' leads to 12-month doping ban
Keith Barker handed 12-month ban - backdated to July 2024 - at hearing in March for breaching ECB's anti-doping rules; 38-year-old tested positive for prohibited substance indapamide and accepted the charge; review panel accepted Barker's explanation that a "genuine mistake" had been made
Wednesday 16 April 2025 14:42, UK
Hampshire bowler Keith Barker will be free to play again in July after an "administrative error" led to a 12-month ban for breaching the ECB's anti-doping rules.
Barker has not featured since a County Championship game against Kent across late June and early July of last year, in which he took five wickets, with Hampshire unable to make any public comment about his absence from the team.
The 38-year-old tested positive for prohibited substance indapamide, which was a like-for like alternative for the player's previous long-standing medication.
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The use was not declared to UK Anti-Doping at the time after a "genuine mistake" between Barker and medical professionals, with a request for a retrospective therapeutic use exemption rejected.
The review panel accepted Barker had no intention to breach the rules or gain a performance advantage and he will now be able to resume his career from July 4 with his ban, which was issued at a hearing in March, backdated.
Barker: I feared the loss of my career
The former Warwickshire left-arm seamer, who accepted his charge, told Hampshire's official website: "Over the last nine months I have been part of a very tense, gruelling process leading to the results of my hearing.
"Having been forced to step away from my career and the sport I have loved since I was a young child due to a genuine administrative error has been mentally taxing and left me fearing for the loss of my career that is very dear to me."
After thanking those who had supported him, including Hampshire and the Professional Cricketers' Association, Barker added: "I'm looking forward to getting back to playing the game that I love.
"My hope is for any young professionals to look at my case with a renewed sense of vigilance around medication and anti-doping procedures in professional sport."
Hampshire director of cricket Giles White added: "This is a regrettable incident, which is the result of a genuine mistake.
"Keith is an exceptional professional and everyone at the club is focussed on supporting him to return to first-team action from July.
"Keith's performances over the last six years have made him a firm favourite with fans and we are grateful to members and supporters for their patience while this process has been ongoing."
