Players chief: Maynard case an exception

Surrey Lions' Tom Maynard during the warm up
28 February 2013

Players' union chief Angus Porter was "shocked" at the extent of tragic Tom Maynard's drug use but does not believe it indicates a widespread problem within cricket.

A coroner has revealed the Surrey batsman was high on cocaine and ecstasy, and had been a regular user, when he was killed on a train track last June. The 23-year-old was also nearly four times over the drink-driving limit after a night out.

Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, believes any problems are more reflective of wider society than anything specific to cricket. Porter told Press Association Sport: "We had an early warning of what the pathologist's findings were, so in that sense it wasn't a complete surprise, but we didn't know any of the detail."

He continued: "I think we were all shocked at the level of drugs and alcohol that were found in Tom's body. I think that has caused us to pause and think a bit. But while Tom's case is shocking I don't think it is evidence of a widespread problem.

"The levels shown in the inquest are ones which, had Tom been tested last summer, there is little doubt he would have failed a drugs test. As chance had it, he wasn't selected for a test, which is a random process.

"I think we can be fairly confident he was unusual in terms of the extent of his apparent addiction to recreational drugs and reasonably confident there are not a lot of players out there who have got similar problems. We're not complacent but I would say the problems in cricket are reflective of the problems in society as a whole."

The England and Wales Cricket Board, in conjunction with the PCA, intends to step up its drug-testing programme as a result.

At present no tests are carried out for recreational drugs out of competition - roughly defined as any day on which a game is not taking place - in line with World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines. Samples taken on out-of-competition days are therefore only screened for performance-enhancing substances.

Maynard's former Surrey team-mate Mark Ramprakash, who retired last summer, also does not think drug use is a big problem in the sport. Ramprakash told Sky Sports News: "I'd be very surprised if it is, I must say.

"We have to ask questions, naturally, as to whether more could have been done regarding Tom's situation but I think the main thing is that his tragic passing is used in a positive way, to try to learn lessons from that and try to educate young cricketers and young people in general."

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