Here's Why ICC Suspended South African Batsman Zubayr Hamza

The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended South African batsman Zubayr Hamza from all cricket-related activities for nine months after he admitted to breaching the ICC Anti-Doping Code.

On January 17, at Paarl, South Africa, Hamza supplied an out-of-competition sample containing the prohibited chemical furosemide, which is a listed substance in Section S5 of the 2022 WADA Prohibited List. He admitted to the violation and, after establishing no major error or negligence on his part, a nine-month suspension was issued, retroactive to March 22, the date Hamza accepted a provisional suspension.

As a result of this ban, Hamza will be able to return to cricket on December 22. Furthermore, between January 17 and March 22, all of Hamza's performances were dismissed. In that time, he has played only one Test match, scoring 25 and 6 against New Zealand. The 26-year-old has played six Tests and one ODI since making his international debut in January 2019.

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"The ICC is dedicated to keeping cricket clean and has a zero-tolerance stance on doping," said Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager-Integrity Unit, in a statement.