By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The ICC on Tuesday suspended Proteas batter Zubayr Hamza from all cricket-related activities for a period of nine months after he admitted to an anti-doping rule violation under the apex body’s anti-doping code.
Hamza provided an out-of-competition sample on January 17, 2022 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.
Hamza admitted to the charge after he was tested in Paarl back on 17 January with the results showing traces of the prohibited substance Furosemide, which is a specified substance in Section S5 of the 2022 WADA Prohibited List.
An ICC statement said they had “established no significant fault or negligence on his part”.
The suspension has been backdated to 22 March 2022, the date that Hamza accepted a provisional suspension, and Hamza will be eligible to return to cricket on 22 December 2022.
All of Hamza’s records between 17 January and 22 March 2022 have been disqualified.
“The ICC is committed to keeping cricket clean and has a zero-tolerance approach to doping,” Alex Marshall, the ICC’s Integrity Unit General Manager said.
“It is also a timely reminder to all international cricketers that they remain responsible for anything they put into their bodies, to know exactly what medication they are taking so as to ensure it does not contain a prohibited substance and does not result in an anti-doping rule violation.”