KINGSTON, Jamaica — The disciplinary hearing into the allegation that West Indies cricketer Andre Russell violated a whereabouts clause was adjourned early this afternoon and is set to continue at 10:00 am on September 28 at Jamaica Conference Centre.

The hearing, convened by the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, was originally scheduled for 10:00 am start times today and tomorrow, respectively. However, not long after midday today, Queen’s Counsel Patrick Foster, the lawyer representing Russell, found favour from the panel with a suggestion that cross-examination of Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) witness and employee Nadia Vassell be continued at a later date.

After a short deliberation, the parties, including JADCO’s lawyer Lackston Robinson, agreed on next week’s resumption. Tentative dates were also set for the hearing to be completed on October 6 and 7.

The October dates were set to allow recuperation time for JADCO Executive Director Carey Brown. He was said to have been injured in a recent mishap and unable to take the witness stand.

In March this year, JADCO alleged that Russell, 28, failed to file his whereabouts, resulting in him missing three doping tests over a 12-month period. Under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations that constitutes a failed test.

Today, the disciplinary panel, comprising Chairman Hugh Faulkner, Dr Marjorie Vassell, and former Jamaica cricketer Dixeth Palmer, heard witness statement from Vassell alleging that Russell had filing failures dated January 1, 2015, July 1, 2015 and July 25, 2015.

Foster, who told journalists that JADCO had to prove negligence on Russell’s part, largely probed the circumstances surrounding the last two alleged filing failures during the approximately 45 minutes of cross-examining Vassell.

Russell, who has played for the West Indies in all formats of the game, is one of the globe’s most sought-after Twenty20 players. He has represented franchises in the Caribbean, India, Bangladesh, Australia, and England.

Sanjay Myers