Blood testing to start at ICC Champions Trophy in anti-doping drive: Report

New Delhi: Come June, cricketers will face blood-testing like other sportspersons as per the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines.

According to a report in The Indian Express, this ground breaking measure for cricket will be witnessed for the first time during the ICC Champions Trophy.

“Cricket has been WADA compliant since 2006 but our players still only undergo in-competition random tests, where their urine samples are collected.

"But there are a lot of performance enhancing drugs and steroids in circulation out there which aren’t visible in urine samples but will show up in your blood. Blood-testing is part of what WADA terms ‘smart testing’, a source told the publication.

It's also learnt that Indian cricketers were educated on the effectiveness of the tests by an ICC doping team during the first ODI between India and England in Pune last month.

“The cricketers were understandably wary of having their blood drawn. But they were briefed on how it’s for the good of the game and they agreed,” the source added.

Besides the blood-testing, cricketers will now have biological passports.

The samples taken during the tournament will be preserved for 10 years and fresh samples will be collected once every six months.

“The blood profile therefore will be studied every six months. This is a more sophisticated technique, which will help in conducting more targeted tests and provide clearer evidence of doping,” the source said.