South Africa batter, Zubayr Hamza has been suspended for nine months by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a violation of the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
The ban was backdated to March 22, the date Hamza accepted a provisional suspension. He will thus be eligible to return to cricket on December 22.
Hamza provided an out-of-competition sample on 17 January in Paarl, South Africa, in which the prohibited substance Furosemide ( which is a specified substance in Section S5 of the 2022 WADA Prohibited List) was found.
As a result, all of Hamza’s individual stats between 17 January and 22 March 2022 have been disqualified.
Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager Integrity Unit said: “The ICC is committed to keeping cricket clean and has a zero-tolerance approach to doping”.
“It is also a reminder to all international cricketers that they remain responsible for anything they put into their bodies, to know exactly what medication they are taking to ensure it does not contain a prohibited substance and does not result in an anti-doping rule violation.”