Perera’s sample that tested positive was taken on October 12

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Perera’s dope test sample that tested positive for a banned substance was taken on October 12 and not during the Pakistan series in June and July, as a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently said.

Perera had to be withdrawn from the ongoing series against New Zealand and was provisionally suspended on Monday. He also received a Notice of Charge from the ICC and is currently brooding over his response.

“The sample Perera provided in an out-of-competition test, which was conducted on 12 October 2015, was found to contain the presence of a Prohibited Substance (in the category of non-Specified Substances),” a statement on the ICC’s website said.

According to the ICC, Perera’s positive sample had been taken two days prior to first Test against the West Indies in Galle, which started on October 14.

Sri Lanka’s interim coach Jerome Jayaratne believed that the medication Perera took for a leech bite on his foot had resulted in him testing positive for a banned substance, but Sri Lanka’s management has since confirmed that this was not the case.