Shohidul Islam suspended for breaching ICC Anti-Doping Code

DUBAI: Bangladesh right-arm pacer Shohidul Islam has been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the violation of the Anti-Doping Code.

Following his doping test failure, the right arm pacer has been handed a 10-month ban from playing in any form of cricket from the ICC, backdated to 28 May 2022.

According to the statement, released by the ICC, a prohibited substance was found in the urine sample of Shohidul amid the ICC’s out-of-competition testing programme in Dhaka on 4 March 2022.

“Shohidul had provided a urine sample as part of the ICC’s out-of-competition testing programme in Dhaka on 4 March 2022, which was found to contain Clomifene,” the statement read.

“Clomifene is classified as a Specified Substance under WADA’s Prohibited List and is prohibited both in-competition and out-of-competition,” it added.

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old pacer has accepted the violation and also a 10-month ban from the cricket governing body upon his failure to satisfy the high level of personal responsibility. The ICC, however, confirmed that the pacer had no intention to enhance his sporting performance by using prohibited substances.

“In making the decision, the ICC accepted that Shohidul had demonstrated no significant fault or negligence, having inadvertently ingested the prohibited substance which was contained in a medicine he had been legitimately prescribed for therapeutic reasons,” ICC stated in a press release.

“Shohidul was able to satisfy the ICC that he had no intention to enhance his sporting performance by using prohibited substances. However, Shohidul accepted that he had failed to satisfy the high levels of personal responsibility incumbent upon him as an international cricketer subject to anti-doping rules,” the statement further read.

It is pertinent to mention here that Shohidul’s 10-month ban from all forms of cricket is backdated from 28 May 2022 and hence, therefore, will be eligible to return to cricket on 28 March 2023.

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