The 38-year-old all-rounder said he was left fearing for his career, and the past nine months have been mentally taxing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOver the last nine months, I have been part of a very tense, gruelling process leading to the results of my hearing. 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, which is very dear to me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to thank the support of the PCA (Professional Cricketers Association), all the professionals involved in working on my case, Hampshire Cricket, and family and friends for helping me get through this difficult time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to getting back to playing the game that I love. 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,\u2019 said Keith in a statement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Barker was provisionally suspended by the Cricket Regulator in July 2024 after an anti-doping violation, following an administrative error between medical professionals and Barker for the prohibited substance indapamide, which was prescribed to Barker for high blood pressure. The substance was not declared to the UK Anti-Doping at the time of use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The review panel accepted that Barker had no intention of breaching anti-doping rules and was not seeking any performance advantage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis is a regrettable incident, which is the result of a genuine mistake. Keith is an exceptional professional, and everyone at the Club is focused on supporting him to return to first-team action from July.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cKeith\u2019s performances over the last six years have made him a firm favourite with fans, and we are grateful to members and supporters for their patience while this process has been ongoing,\u201d said Giles White, Director of Cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis is a regrettable incident, which is the result of a genuine mistake. Keith is an exceptional professional, and everyone at the Club is focused on supporting him to return to first-team action from July.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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