Drugs drill

ST JOHN'S - West Indies cricket team management is ensuring its players do not fall victim to drug-testing that will be carried out during the World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya next month.

Manager Ricky Skerritt said seminars had been done with the players in the past and there would be a follow-up tomorrow at the ongoing preparation camp in Antigua to sensitise the players.

"We have already run two workshops on [drug-testing]," Skerritt said. "One in Sri Lanka [last September] and one in India [October/November]. For most of the tour in India we had Dr Akshai Mansingh [a member of the medical panel] - and he did some ground work with the players as a follow-up.

"We also have in our programme this Saturday one of our medical panel doctors flying in from Jamaica to spend some more time with the guys."

Skerritt said the West Indies Cricket Board had already informed the International Cricket Council about the medical condition of two players whose names were not disclosed.

"We have also made declaration on two players who use prescription drugs relative to certain health conditions that they have as required by the system that is in place," Skerritt said.

"What it means is that in the event these two players get tested and the particular test shows positive for those ingredients, it would have been declared well in advance for medical reason. That's what the system allows and that has to do with prescription drugs.

"These are private medical concerns. This kind of thing will be going on in all of the teams. This is not any big mystery. But it is obviously personal medical situations."

The Kittitian businessman said the game's governing body was falling in line with international practices adopted by other world sporting authorities such as the International Olympic Committee.

"The ICC is making a big step on what they perceived as the need to comply with world standards. It sends a signal to us that throughout the ICC territories we are going to have to look in terms of implementing it our own local level sometime in the future.

"The ICC has made it clear that all future ICC tournaments will involve the Olympic-style, which is where it originated, drug-testing."

Skerritt said the Windies players had no reservations about drug-testing and all the players saw it as a necessary requirement. He said they were not worried.

"Our players are not out to cheat. This is a step designed to prevent cheating of some kind. West Indies cricketers have not been the type of players to set about to cheat. So anything that is going to eliminate and prevent these kinds of activities, West Indies are not going to resist it," he said.

"We have provided the relevant information. We have tried to put it forward in ways which players understand. We had professionals explain [it] to the players. We feel that it is important. It is something new."

West Indies wrap up their camp on Sunday before departing for South Africa via Barbados. They will have two warm-up matches before facing South Africa on February 9 at Newlands, Cape Town, in the tournament opener.