Surrey player Evans ‘shocked’ after testing positive

Surrey’s Laurie Evans has revealed he tested positive for a banned substance this summer, but insists he has no idea what caused the result. The T20 specialist Evans, who did not feature in the Brown Caps’ LV= Insurance County Championship winning side, made the announcement via a statement carried by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).

The 35-year-old wrote in a statement: “I was shocked to be told that an anti-doping sample I provided in August 2022 tested positive for trace amounts of a banned substance. I believe passionately in clean sport and I have never taken any banned substances. I do not know what caused the positive test, but my team and I are investigating how this could have happened and I am doing everything possible to find out.

“Due to the confidentiality of the process, I cannot say any more at this stage, but I would like to thank my family for supporting me at this very distressing time.”

Evans, who also represents Manchester Originals in The Hundred, has never played for England but has been on the

fringes of selection in the past and featured in a 55-man training squad convened in 2021 during Covid regulations.