JAMAICAN batsman John Campbell has credited family and friends for being the driving force behind his almost-seamless return to competitive cricket following a 22-month ban.

The left-handed opener, who has played 20 Test matches for West Indies, had been suspended for four years by Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in October 2022 for failing to provide a testing sample to doping control officers in April of that year.

The punishment was reduced by two years and two months after a Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) ruling in April 2024.

After nearly two years out in the cold — most of which he spent in the United States — he was eligible to resume his career in August.

Campbell, who had previously captained Jamaica Scorpions in regional cricket, was named to lead the franchise during the October 29 to November 23 Super50 Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.

He has pretty much hit the ground running, not by the weight of runs scored but more so because of his leadership on the field and how at ease he has been with the bat since his return.

Though not kicking on from several good starts, he has been central to the team’s positive approach. He failed to score in the win against Combined Campuses and Colleges but other than that has registered fluent knocks of 26, 39, 41, 53 and 42 in the tournament.

“It [being suspended] wasn’t a good feeling. I can’t really put it into words but, thankfully, I had good friends and family around who supported me. That helped me through the two years,” the 31-year-old told the Jamaica Observer recently.

“Throughout the entire process, and even now, [West Indies Players’ Association President] Wavell [Hinds] still reaches out to me so I’m really appreciative of what they did for me and are still doing for me.”

The terms of the ban had limited Campbell to non-cricket-related exercises, so the gym was often his place of refuge.

“It was really difficult to continue to train — and that wasn’t anything cricket related; it was basically gym work. There were days I was wondering why I’m going to the gym, not knowing whether the [suspension] would be reduced. But my family, my mother, kept talking positivity into me — and I’m really appreciative of that.

“In April when I heard that I’d be eligible in August, it was consistent work regarding physical readiness from April to August,” he said.

When he was cleared to pick up a bat, he got training opportunities and competitive action under his belt with North Carolina-based Morrisville Raptors in US Minor League Cricket.

“For me, in August it was just to get some sessions while in the United States. I could drive to a facility where I got some net [practice] and I got to hit some balls. Right after that they had minor league, which is one of the top competitions in the US, so I played a few games before coming back for [Jamaica Scorpions] trials. They [Morrisville Raptors] have an academy as well, so I was there every day after the ban.

“Whenever we didn’t have games, I was there batting. I didn’t need any company because they have a machine that feeds itself automatically. I was there day in, day out, trying to get my timing, trying to hit balls,” Campbell explained.

The Scorpions, who won the Super50 Cup in 2022 with Rovman Powell as captain, endured a horrible campaign in defence of their title last year as Trinidad and Tobago Red Force lifted the crown. Jamaica lost six of seven matches — the other ended in a no-result due to rain — to place last in the preliminary stage table.

The Campbell-led Scorpions have been far better this season, securing a semi-final clash versus Leeward Islands Hurricanes on Thursday. They won four of seven preliminary stage matches and lost only once, as the other two outings ended in no-results.

Some argue that the positive mindset passed on by both newly appointed Coach Robert Haynes and Campbell has boosted the Scorpions.

“I was pretty confident in what I did to prepare myself… I know that if I’m leading from the front with scoring runs then the guys will want to contribute,” Campbell told the Observer.

Campbell, a standout batsman as a national youth player, transitioned to Jamaica’s senior team, making his first class début for Jamaica against Guyana in 2014. He averages 30.41 in first class cricket.

He played his first Test for the West Indies in 2019 and averages 26.11 with three half-centuries. In the two-Test series victory over Bangladesh in June 2022 the Jamaican showed signs of coming to grips with international cricket, averaging 68 with a best of 58 not out.

Campbell acknowledged that the suspension came at the worst-possible time in his career.

“It was really difficult because I’ve been playing cricket since I was about six, seven years old, so having that taken away from me at that particular time [was hard]. As well, I feel like I was just getting into my own in international cricket [when the suspension came],” he shared.

In six One-Day Internationals for West Indies, Campbell averages 49.6 with a best of 179 against Ireland.