5 Cricketers Who Battled Substance Abuse That Nearly Shattered Their Lives

Substance abuse is one of the most serious vices that a person can develop. It not only affects the individual, but it also upsets the lives of those around them. Here are five notable cricketers who were addicted to substances and nearly shattered their lives:

1. Wasim Akram – Cocaine

Wasim Akram, widely regarded as the greatest Pakistani cricketer of all time, revealed his cocaine addiction in his memoir Sultan: A Memoir.

Akram stated that his addiction began quite innocently when he was approached at a party in England and offered a line of cocaine.

The drug, on the other hand, quickly took hold of him, and he discovered he was fully dependant on it to function on a daily basis. He went on to add that his first wife, Huma, found a pack of cocaine in his wallet and discovered his bad habits.

Following discussion, Akram entered treatment, but relapsed due to being assigned to a con man of a doctor who only wanted to earn money and not heal the patients. He even considered divorcing his wife after his relapse due to her continual supervision of his drug problem.

Akram admitted that he stopped consuming drugs after Huma died in 2009 from an unusual fungus mucormycosis.

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2. Mohammad Asif – Nandrolone

The former Pakistani cricketer was convicted of using the anabolic steroid nandrolone at the 2006 Champions Trophy and sentenced to a year of ineligibility, but the verdict was later reversed.

The episode, however, remains one of the most heinous in Pakistani cricket history. To make matters worse, he was kicked out of the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) after testing positive for drugs.

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3. Shane Warne – Diuretics

Shane Warne, the late and great Australian player, was in the press roughly two decades ago for an unfortunate event.

The renowned Australian bowler was banned for a year just before the 2003 World Cup after testing positive for a diuretic drug.

Following the ban, the tale rose to prominence and broke all reasonable expectations.

Warne went on to play for the Rajasthan franchise in the Indian T20 League, where he won the league’s inaugural season in 2008.

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4. Shoaib Akhtar – Nandrolone

The Shoaib Akhtar incident occurred in 2006, when the great bowler was detected misusing a drug that would subsequently improve his effectiveness.

The pacer was caught in the act, as did Mohammad Asif, who was also caught using the chemical and was kicked out of the competition.

Nonetheless, Akhtar remained in his love and continued to represent Pakistan until the 2011 World Cup, when Pakistan was eliminated in the semifinals by India.

On his YouTube channel, the legendary runner is currently conducting interviews and reviewing games.

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5. Brendan Taylor – Cocaine

Brendan Taylor, the former captain of Zimbabwe’s cricket team, claimed in a tweet in January 2022 that he used cocaine and accepted a $15,000 payment from an Indian businessman to rig games.

The 35-year-old batsman stated that in October 2019, he received an invitation from an Indian businessman to discuss sponsorships and the possibility of launching a T20 tournament in Zimbabwe. He claimed he was informed he would be reimbursed $15,000 for his trip expenses.

He “foolishly accepted the bait” when the businessman and his associates offered him cocaine during cocktails on the last night. The same individuals returned to his hotel room the following morning, threatening to make public a video of him doing cocaine the previous evening, and demanded that he rig international matches for them.

He claimed to be “cornered” and received a down payment of $15,000 for match-fixing. He took the cash so he could fly away. He insists that he never manipulated any matches but notes that he delayed four months before telling the ICC of the violation.

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