SA batter Zubayr Hamza suspended by ICC for doping violation

The ICC on Tuesday suspended South African batter Zubayr Hamza from all cricket-related actions for a interval of 9 months after he admitted to an anti-doping rule violation underneath the apex physique’s anti-doping code.

Hamza supplied an out-of-competition pattern on January 17, 2022 in Paarl, South Africa, wherein the prohibited substance Furosemide – which is a specified substance in Section S5 of the 2022 WADA Prohibited List – was discovered.

He admitted the violation and, having established no vital fault or negligence on his half, a nine-month interval of ineligibility has been imposed, backdated to 22 March 2022, the date that Hamza accepted a provisional suspension.

The impact of this suspension is that Hamza might be eligible to return to cricket on December 22, 2022.
In addition, all of Hamza’s particular person performances between January 17 to March 22, 2022 have been disqualified.

The 26-year-old has thus far performed six Tests and one ODI for South Africa and with the ICC’s newest sanctions, he would lose out on a complete of 31 runs (25 and 6) which he scored for the Proteas in a Test match towards the New Zealand at Christchurch between February 17-19.

ICC GM (Integrity Unit) Alex Marshall stated: “The ICC is dedicated to preserving cricket clear and has a zero-tolerance method to doping.

“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.”