MELBOURNE, 1 March — New South Wales player Graeme Rummans was banned for one month and fined $1,000 by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) yesterday for failing a drugs test.

The ACB announced on Feb. 21 that Rummans, 25, had tested positive for the masking agent probenecid.

He was tested before a New South Wales state team practice session in December.

“I accept the decision to suspend me until the 24th of March and the fine of (US$1,000),” Rummans said, reading from a prepared statement after a seven-hour hearing with the ACB’s Anti-Doping Committee.

“I’m glad that the hearing acknowledged that I have never taken any performance-enhancing drugs and look forward to finishing off the season with my (Sydney) district club St. George.

“I would like to thank the committee for saying that I am a man of honesty and integrity and accepting my use of probenecid was innocent and that I never set out to mislead or cheat anyone.

“Several very high profile cricket figures went into bat for me on this issue and this is something that I’ll never forget.”

The ACB said there had been mitigating circumstances to consider in the case.

In 21 matches in the Australian interstate four-day competition, the left-hander has made 857 runs at an average of 29, including one century, and taken five wickets at 24.

Rummans has played six interstate one-day matches this season, scoring 177 runs at 35.40.

The ACB told the New South Wales selectors last week not to consider Rummans for the interstate one-day final, which NSW won against Queensland in Brisbane on Sunday.

Western Australian fast bowler Duncan Spencer was suspended by the ACB for 18 months in April last year after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.

All-rounder Watson to make

Australian debut in tour match

In Port Elizabeth, young Australian prospect Shane Watson will make his debut for his country at St. George’s Park in a four-day tour cricket match against South Africa A starting Friday.

The 20-year-old all-rounder, who grew up in Queensland but now plays for Tasmania, was on Thursday named in the XI to take on a team of South African Test hopefuls.

As expected, the Aussie tour selectors left out four leading players in Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn, but skipper Steve Waugh will still lead a powerful lineup.

Joining the seven players from the first Test are Watson, Darren Lehmann, Stuart MacGill and Andy Bichel.

The side is hardly diminished in strength by the changes and after Thursday’s practice, Lehmann said they would be determined to do well in this match.

“We’ll be going full out in this match and try to play as well as we can,” said Lehmann, who will moved to the unaccustomed position of opener in the batting lineup.

He was not concerned about that change.

“It’s just good to have an opportunity to have a game and hopefully we’ll perform well. We’ll be looking to start on a positive note,” he said.

Watson is regarded as one of Australia’s best prospects to fit into the category of genuine all-rounder, a role that has not been filled for several years in the national team.

The way their batsmen and bowlers are performing at the moment, however, means a frontline all-rounder has hardly been missed by the Aussies, but Watson can make an impact for the future if he performs well over the next four days.

Watson said the squad’s senior members had been helpful in passing on advice.

Windies World Cup 2007 plans

on track, says organizer

In Port of Spain, preparations for hosting the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies are on track, the chief executive of the company planning the event said yesterday.

“I’m not concerned about the timing because we’re on track. At this point, I have a very good idea of where we’re going, having done three or four months of consultation,” Chris Dehring, who was appointed head of Windies World Cup 2007 Inc. last year, told Reuters.

Dehring’s comments came after former WICB president Pat Rousseau claimed West Indies could lose the tournament because of poor playing facilities.

Rousseau declared that only Grenada has the facilities to host World Cup matches and that customs and immigration checks in each country could affect the logistics of hosting the event.

“I have held more meetings than I can count with contractors, corporate event managers, logistics experts and communication companies prior to preparing a master plan for the tournament,” Dehring said.

“I’m aiming to present it to the (WICB’s) interim World Cup committee for discussion by the end of March.”

“We’re going to have to put in place a structure that suits our own particular circumstances.”

Dehring cautioned against “general apathy” and said it was crucial that the WICB and relevant governments realize the urgency of the situation with the biggest single sporting event ever staged in the Caribbean now only five years away.

“I spoke to Pat (Rousseau) a few days ago and I’m sure his comments were meant to be taken in that light,” he said.

“He knows that, right now, there’s a lot of background work, a lot of preparatory work being done.”