[Frankie]

^
Funny how this "banning" thing has changed. In 1996 an English cricket pro, Ed Giddins, tested positive for cocaine. At the time he played for Sussex and appeared in a handful of Tests for England. Giddins thought he was only banned from First Class cricket, so as the season was approaching its end in England, he contacted a club in NZ that he had played for before as a pro to try and get a gig for the winter.

Initially the club were keen to take him on, especially as he was now a proven performer. However when they applied to register him they were informed that Giddins had a worldwide ban on him. Giddins wasn't aware of this so, his solicitor made further enquiries and he was in fact banned from every affiliated ground world wide. Not just for playing, but also as a spectator.

Basically he could only play/watch non organised cricket in local parks etc. Amazingly he saw his ban out and came back as a pro but his career was cut short with a shoulder injury. Giddins was interviewed by Paul Allott on Sky a few years ago and it was an amazing story. Giddins said during the ban he just practised bowling in a local park and, in the winter, on tarmac tennis courts. Allott said he would have packed in and done something else.

Different bans for different folks.