On this day in 2017, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell was banned for a year for repeated violations of drug testing

The hard-hitting all-rounder from West Indies, Andre Russell, has been one of the most sought-after players in global franchise cricket. But he has also seen a lot of ups and downs. In this article, we will revisit one such phase in his career when he had to go out of action from international cricket for a year. On this day, Russell was banned for one year for repeated violations of drug testing. 

A Testing Phase

It was certainly a testing phase for the all-rounder as he was handed a ban for a year which impacted his career. When the judgement was announced the cricketer looked visibly in tears which reflected the magnitude of the decision that went against him. Russell was charged with negligence in filing his whereabouts which is mandatory for any player to comply with. 

He missed the deadlines on three instances in 2015 which resulted in him being convicted for doping. This was a big blow for the cricketer as he was one of the bright prospects for West Indies in limited-overs cricket. Not just the national team but his engagements with several franchises across the globe also took a hit. 

Russell’s ban came into effect on January 31, 2017, and remained in existence till January 30, 2018. There were severe impacts of the ban as the all-rounder could not live up to the contracts that he had signed with franchises in various T20 leagues including IPL. 

Now when Russel looks back at that phase, he calls it the ‘toughest year.’ However, he shares that Kolkata Knight Riders stood strong with him and gave him the support he needed to cope with that pressure. When the ban was over Russel made a roaring comeback in international cricket and showed everyone that his career was not over yet. He particularly played exceptionally well for Kolkata Knight Riders which reposed faith in the hard-hitting Caribbean when nothing was going his way.