Perera eyes comeback after doping blunder

COLOMBO — Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kusal Perera targeted a swift return Thursday to international cricket after officials admitted the analysis of a doping test which triggered his suspension had been botched. An emotional Perera told reporters he had suffered “tremendous mental stress” after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in Qatar last year but insisted he always knew he would be eventually cleared. “I had not done anything wrong, but I went through tremendous mental stress,” Perera said at a press conference staged by Sri Lanka’s board. “I want to start practicing and get back to international cricket at the earliest.” The 25-year-old said he was hopeful of being fit and ready to play in the home series against Australia at the end of July, linking up with his teammates who are currently on tour in England. “I thank my fans and the board who stood by me during this trying period. I knew I would be cleared. I am relieved all this is over and I want to get back into form.” While Perera was suspended during Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand last December, his positive result came from out-of-competition testing at a laboratory in Qatar accredited by the world anti-doping authority (WADA). But the International Cricket Council (ICC) lifted the suspension with immediate effect late Wednesday when it described the test as “an atypical finding” that could not be construed as evidence of doping. Sri Lankan board president Thilanga Sumathipala said his organisation had managed to get Perera’s test results overturned after hiring a British law firm which advised them to commission independent scientific tests. The tests found no evidence that Perera had taken a banned substance. “He has been exonerated without a hearing, but based on the scientific evidence we provided,” Sumathipala said adding that the board expected the ICC to reimburse the $100,000 costs of the tests and legal advice. The ICC said it was seeking an urgent explanation from WADA and the Qatar laboratory that tested Perera’s sample. However, the Doping Analysis Laboratory insisted there was nothing wrong with their results and blamed a problem with “interpretation.” Vince and Ball in England squad Uncapped duo James Vince and Josh Ball were both named Thursday in England’s 12-man squad for next week’s first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley. Hampshire batsman Vince could well make his Test debut in Leeds, given there is now a vacancy following the retirement through illness of James Taylor. Nottinghamshire paceman Ball, meanwhile, looks set to compete with Steven Finn for the third seamer role in an attack set to be led by James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Vince, 25, already has five England limited-overs caps. His batting style has been compared to that of former England captain Michael Vaughan. Ball, also 25, has made his case with 19 Championship wickets for Nottinghamshire so far this season. England will again be captained by Alastair Cook, with the Essex left-hander needing just 36 more runs to become the first Englishman to score 10,000 in Tests. The first Test, which starts at Headingley on May 19, is the first of a three-match series. Squad: Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (keeper), Jake Ball, Stuart Broad, Nick Compton, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Vince. — Agencies