Warne suspended for 12 months

MELBOURNE, Feb 22 AAP - Shane Warne was found guilty of a drugs charge by an Australian Cricket Board anti-doping committee today and suspended for 12 months.

Warne, 33, tested positive for a diuretic on January 22, the day he announced his retirement from one-day cricket.

He claimed to have been given the tablet by his mother Brigitte, who gave evidence in his defence yesterday.

The three-person ACB committee chaired by Queensland judge Glen Williams found the charge against Warne of using a prohibited method to be proven.

The 12-month ban starts on February 10 and rules Warne out of the World Cup and upcoming Test series against the West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, India and Sri Lanka.

Warne has seven days to decide whether to appeal the finding and the verdict.

The Australian selectors will now name a replacement for Warne in the 15-man World Cup squad.

The most likely replacements would be Queensland off-spinner Nathan Hauritz or New South Wales leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

The three-person ACB panel sat for eight hours yesterday hearing evidence before adjourning their decision until today.

The official announcement was made shortly after 1pm (AEDT).

Diuretics are banned because they can be used to mask other illegal drugs.

Warne was officially charged with using a prohibited method, which carries a minimum two-year ban.

But there was scope for him to be given a lesser sentence under an "exceptional circumstance" clause in the anti-doping policy.

ACB chief executive James Sutherland was due to make a statement at ACB headquarters in Jolimont this afternoon to explain the finding.

Warne will also read a statement, but it was unclear whether he would be taking questions.

The ban covers all organised cricket.

In addition to international matches, the 33-year-old leg-spinner is also ineligible to play for Victoria, English county Hampshire or his local district club St Kilda for the next 12 months.

Warne announced on February 11 in South Africa that he had tested positive to the diuretics hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride.

He flew home from the World Cup later that day without playing a single game to prepare his defence.

On arriving back in Australia, Warne said his mother gave him a tablet which contained the diuretics to which he tested positive.

To escape without penalty, Warne needed to convince the anti-doping hearing that he held an "honest and reasonable belief" that he was not breaking the ACB's drug code.

Australian chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Warne's World Cup replacement had already been decided upon and could be made public as early as later today.

Sutherland said the full results of the hearing would be published at a later date.

The anti-doping panel found "no exceptional circumstances which would justify the charges being dismissed", according to the ACB boss.

"The mere presence of diuretics constituted use of a prohibited method," he said, adding that the case was a very complex one and that the ACB was comfortable with the finding.

"Generally no-one is happy about the circumstances of this case, no-one can be happy," said Sutherland.