Russell handed one-year ban for doping whereabouts violation

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has been banned for a year for a doping whereabouts rule violation.

The two-time Twenty20 World Cup winner was revealed to have committed the violation 11 months ago after registering three filing failures in 2015.

That constitutes a failed drugs test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

‘Mr Russell was found guilty of a doping violation,’ Hugh Faulkner, chairman of the independent anti-doping tribunal that handed out the punishment, said in a statement.

The 28-year-old Jamaican, who helped the West Indies win their second World T20 title in 2016, will be banned for a year from January 31.

WADA rules state that athletes across all sports must inform their local anti-doping agencies where they will be for at least one hour each day to facilitate drug tests.