Left-arm seamer set to return in July following backdated suspension
Hampshire seamer Keith Barker has been suspended from all forms of cricket for 12 months, with the ban backdated to July 2024, after testing positive for a prohibited substance during a routine drugs test last summer.
The violation stemmed from the detection of Indapamide, a diuretic listed under WADA’s 2024 prohibited substances as a masking agent. Although commonly used to treat high blood pressure, the substance was not declared to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), leading to Barker’s provisional suspension in July 2024. A request for a retrospective Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) was denied.
Barker accepted violations of two ECB Anti-Doping Rules at a hearing held on March 5 and will be eligible to return to cricket from July 4, 2025.
In a statement, Hampshire described the situation as an “administrative error,” explaining that Indapamide had been prescribed as a like-for-like replacement for Barker’s previous long-term medication. The review panel acknowledged that Barker had no intent to enhance performance or breach anti-doping regulations deliberately, but the National Anti-Doping Panel still imposed a 12-month ban.
The 38-year-old had a strong showing in the 2024 County Championship before his suspension, picking up 16 wickets at an average of 24.37, including a standout performance of 6 for 74 against his former side, Warwickshire, at Edgbaston in June. Neither Barker nor Hampshire had been able to speak publicly about his absence until now due to the nature of the case.
