Follow UsFormer Australian captain Tim Paine is not happy with the transparency around South African paceman Kagiso Rabada’s failed drug test.
Rabada recently confirmed that he is serving a provisional ban for using recreational drugs. As a result, he returned home from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, citing personal reasons.
According to a report on ESPNCricinfo, Rabada is believed to have consumed a banned substance during the SA20, where he turned up for MI Cape Town.
The 29-year-old has returned to India after returning home, citing personal reasons. Whether or not he will play for the Gujarat Titans (GT) for the remainder of the season is not clear yet.
“It stinks. I don't like this use around personal issues, and it being used to hide stuff that isn't a personal issue,” Paine told SEN Radio.
“If you have a professional sportsman that's tested for recreational drugs during a tournament in which he is playing, that doesn't fall under personal issues for me.
“Taking drugs — recreational or performance enhancing — is not a personal issue that can just be hidden for a month. A guy can be taken out of the IPL, moved back to South Africa and we just let it slide under the rug.”
Paine added: “If he is going to take drugs and be caught doing it, I think people deserve to know what he's taken, how long he is being rubbed out for, and who sanctioned it.”