West Indies and Sydney Thunder allrounder Andre Russell says he's been living under a "big cloud" while fighting an anti-doping charge that carries a potential two-year cricket ban.
Jamaica's independent anti-doping disciplinary panel will on Wednesday (AEDT) hand down its decision on a misdemeanour offence after Russell failed to update a whereabouts diary for drug testers three times within a 12-month period, the Jamaica Observer reports.
"It's been stressing and hard playing cricket and all that's in the back of your head," Russell told the newspaper at the weekend.
"It's like a big cloud over my head."
Russell, charged last February, said he had focused on keeping a positive frame of mind.
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"I haven't been thinking about anything else that I want to do apart from playing cricket; doing what I love," he said.
"After this hurdle I'd come together with my management and think about doing something else, but I just want to remain positive at the moment.
"I think I can [avoid a suspension] with the help of God; I think it's out of my control, so I just have to wait on what happens."
Under world anti-doping rules, athletes must tell their local agency where they will be for at least an hour each day between 6am and 11pm to allow for drug tests.
Russell's lawyers have argued that the cricketer was not negligent, the Observer said.
The 28-year-old's BBL season ended early in January after he suffered a hamstring injury during the Thunder's win over Melbourne.
