The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned South African batter Zubayr Hamza from all cricket-related activities for nine months after he admitted to breaking an anti-doping regulation.

On January 17, 2022, in Paarl, South Africa, he provided an out-of-competition sample, which included the forbidden chemical Furosemide, which is a specified substance in Section S5 of the WADA Prohibited List of 2022.

Zubayr, 26, admitted to the infringement, and because there was no evidence of significant fault or negligence on his part, a nine-month period of suspensions was imposed, effective backdated to March 22, 2022, when Hamza accepted a provisional suspension. Hamza will be eligible to return to cricket on December 22, 2022, as a result of the suspension. 

Furthermore, from January 17 through March 22, 2022, all of the right-hander’s individual performances were disqualified.

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With the ICC's latest sanctions, the 26-year-old would lose out on a total of 31 runs (25 and 6) he scored for his national side in a Test match against New Zealand at Christchurch between February 17-19.

ICC GM (Integrity Unit) Alex Marshall said: "The ICC is committed to keeping cricket clean and has a zero-tolerance approach 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."

(PTI INPUTS)