Australian cricketers touring India for the Testseries have been warned to be careful about their intake of supplements in thewake of the recent drugs saga mainly affecting rugby clubs.
Michael Clarke's team is midway through a four-match seriesin India and trailing 0-2 after a demoralising innings defeat in Hyderabad.
Though cricket was not being pinpointed in the Australian CrimeCommission report released last month, the touring team management was nottaking any chances. The players have been asked to show the touring medicoexactly what they are ingesting in India.
"I had a chat to the guys when we started the tour. They'veshown me anything that they were taking and it's all absolutely fine,"Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said.
"Most of them are not taking anything anyway but a few aretaking protein shakes and things like that, which are all prettystraightforward," he was quoted as saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
"There are a small amount of supplements used, vitaminsand so on, at various times in every sport. You just have to be careful what'srequired and what's given."
Dr Brukner, a former head of English Premier League club Liverpool'ssports medicine and science unit and an ex-Socceroos doctor, said the intake ofsupplements by Australian players would continue to be closely supervised on toursand at home despite no suggestion of any banned substance use in the game.
"There has never been a culture of real high-end performanceenhancement in cricket, so it's not so much of an issue, but every sport has toaddress it these days. We've got to be super careful," he said.
"I think it's awake-up call to all sports. We've got to be very careful and vigilant aboutwhat people are using. I think it's been a sign that the role of the doctor hasbecome a bit reduced in some aspects of sport and sports scientists have sortof taken over the performance enhancement side of things and by and large theydo an excellent job."