Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum blames inhaler for positive drug test during IPL 2016

Hamilton: New Zealand star Brendon McCullum clarified on Friday that his positive drug test during the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was due to a medical condition.

McCullum, who was representing the Gujarat Lions at the time, revealed that heavy pollution in Delhi at the time forced him to take more than his usual dose of medicine, which saw his urine sample exceed the allowable limit for salbutamol, a substance which is part of inhalers used to treat asthma.

“There was a bit of a process to go through to make sure they had all the information and ticked off the areas they wanted to see, but we went through it all and (the BCCI) were actually pretty good to work with in the end,” McCullum was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.

“I certainly don’t see it as a failed drug test. It was just a case of we just need to seek clarification and apply for this. I have no ill-feeling about (the process) and I also have no guilt or remorse about it because I needed a puff of my inhaler at that time,” he added.

McCullum, who is struggling with asthma since childhood, said he has always struggled to play in Delhi and conditions were even worse on that particular day.

“I’ve heard this sort of rumbling around in the background for a while and I actually said to my wife, ‘I don’t know why we don’t just deal with this now, I’ve got nothing to hide and it is better off just talking about stuff rather than having other people talking about it’. Otherwise it just grows and festers,” he said.

“As far as I am concerned it was just a matter of making sure we got everything signed off properly, rather than it being a failed drug test,” he added.