Shane Warne

It was not unexpected that Shane would again make a mistake, and the consumption of a diuretic fitted in nicely with his succession of discrepancies. The national sports hero has been caught out in numerous embarrassing scandals, including bookmaking and a phone-sex incident. These regrettable encounters were brought about by Shane’s uncanny lack of ability to decide right from wrong, they labeled him an ignorant simpleton. At the same time however, the punishment was considerately fair to Shane’s uniquely individual case. The moment Shane put a banned substance in his mouth, the moment he became a drug cheat, and, consequently had to be punished for his actions. Shane is well known on the cricket field through his talent, and, he is equally well known off the field for his larrikin behaviour. Of course not everyone conceives this view on the issue.

Shane Warne is a unique individual. He is arguably the best cricket player in the world who has contributed to cricket greatly, both on a national and international scale. In conjunction with his contribution to cricket, Shane’s ignorance was his only refuge from the recommended minimum two-year ban. Athletes would be free to use illegal performance-enhancing substances with the luxury of knowing that the utilized diuretic will be their failsafe. He did not know the difference between right and wrong and was therefore given a suitable and fair penalty of a reduced ban. The one-year ban wasn’t just mandatory to discipline Shane, but also to protect the future from similar incidences occurring.