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"It stinks": Paine slams handling of Rabada drug issue
SEN • May 5th, 2025 11:45 am
- Rabada tested positive for recreational drugs
- It has not been confirmed which drug he took
- He left the IPL after just two games
- He will be able to play in the World test Championship
Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has slammed Kagiso Rabada, his IPL team and Cricket South Africa for its attempts to conceal the fast bowler’s failed drug test.
Last month Rabada returned home from the IPL after playing just two matches with the Gujarat Titans. The team said his departure was to “tend to an important personal matter".
Rabada has since confirmed that he has been serving a provisional suspension after testing positive for an unspecified recreational drug.
While no date has been set for his return it is believed he will be eligible to represent South Africa at the World Test Championship final against Australia in June.
The secrecy and attempt to hide a failed drug test under the guise of “personal issues” infuriated Paine who called for full disclosure by whoever has overseen the matter.
"It stinks,” Paine said on SEN Tassie Breakfast.
“I don’t like this use around personal issues, and it being used to hide stuff that isn’t a personal issue. 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.
“That falls under you have broken your contract. That is not a personal issue, that is something that is happening in your personal life.
“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 the IPL, moved back to South Africa and we just let it slide under the rug. Then we will bring him back once he’s already served his ban.”
COME CLEAN
While Rabada has expressed deep regret at the findings, Paine is not happy with the idea that cricket simply moves on from this.
“Not only will play against Australia in the World Test Championship but he’s available to be playing now in the IPL,” he continued. “No one knew about what he’s taken, what he was given or who the organising body was that oversaw it.
“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. People need to be held to account for stuff like that.”
Over the weekend 29-year-old Rabada released a statement in which he apologised for his actions and insisted the incident would not define his career.
“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down,” he said in a statement released by the South African Cricketers’ Association.
“I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations. I am serving a provisional suspension and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.
“This moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft.”
