In August the England A seam bowler was banned from playing until April 1998 by the Test and County Cricket Board and sacked by Sussex, having tested positive for cocaine at a championship match against Kent at Tunbridge Wells in May.

After yesterday's 2.5-hour hearing he said he was ``very, very disappointed and upset'' by the decision of the Cricket Council appeals committee, chaired by Desmond Perrett QC.

He said: ``I was appealing against the harshness of the sentence, against losing my livelihood for the best part of two years.''

Giddins, 25, who had been approached by a number of counties, added: ``I want to stay in cricket and I'm not going to leave it, that's for sure.''

He plans to spend the next six weeks selling Christmas trees in south London after going into partnership with Nadeem Shahid, the Surrey cricketer.