![Keith Barker [Source: @k13bkr/instagram.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1744812648646_KeithBarker.jpg?type=mq)
Keith Barker [Source: @k13bkr/instagram.com]
Veteran Hampshire seamer Keith Barker has been handed a 12-month suspension from all forms of cricket after unknowingly breaching anti-doping regulations. The ban, backdated to July 2024, came after a routine drugs test flagged the presence of Indapamide, a substance listed on WADA’s 2024 prohibited list.
Keith Barker Suspended For One Year Over Administrative Error
However, Barker didn’t cheat, didn’t seek an edge and wasn’t chasing any performance gain. This was, as both he and the club put it, an “administrative error”. But in sports, paperwork can pack a punch and Barker’s career took a hit for it.
Barker tested positive for Indapamide, a diuretic commonly used to treat high blood pressure. It was prescribed as a like-for-like alternative to his long-term medication. However, the new drug wasn't declared to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) at the time, which meant Barker’s request for a retrospective Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) was denied.
The Cricket Regulator provisionally suspended him in July 2024 and a March 2025 hearing confirmed the 12-month ban. While the review panel accepted Barker wasn’t looking for an unfair advantage, anti-doping rules are rules, intent or not.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the ruling, Barker didn’t hold back.
“Over the last nine months I have been part of a very tense, gruelling process,” he said in a heartfelt statement released by Hampshire.
“Having been forced to step away from my career and the sport I have loved since I was a young child due to a genuine administrative error has been mentally taxing and left me fearing for the loss of my career that is very dear to me.”
He also took a moment to thank his support system, including Hampshire Cricket, the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), and his loved ones.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to playing the game that I love,” he added.
“My hope is for any young professionals to look at my case with a renewed sense of vigilance around medication and anti-doping procedures in professional sport.”
Facing The Long Road Back
At 38, Barker has been one of the most reliable names in county cricket. In the 2023-24 County Championship, he claimed 16 wickets at an average of 24.37, with a best of 6 for 74 against Warwickshire.
But for most of the past year, fans were left wondering about his absence, something neither Barker nor the club were allowed to address due to the ongoing process.
With his ban ending on July 4, Barker will be eligible to return to action in the second half of the 2025 county season. And knowing the kind of fight he has shown on and off the field, it wont be a surprise if he storms back with a point to prove.
 "Jatin")
