South Africa's Zubayr Hamza tests positive for prohibited substance

South African batter Zubayr Hamza has tested positive for a banned drug under the International Cricket Council's anti-doping code. It is believed that Hamza tested positive for the drug Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancer.

The statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that Hamza is 'not disputing' the test results. It also said that Hamza is 'cooperating fully with the ICC'. He has consented to a voluntary suspension that will begin immediately.

"The process to follow will entail presenting evidence that there was no fault or negligence, or no significant fault or negligence on the part of Zubayr. CSA, SACA and WPCA are supporting Zubayr in this process and will continue to do so until the matter is concluded," the report suggested.

The 26-year old made his Test debut in early 2019 against Pakistan, becoming South Africa's 100th Test player since reintroduction. In November last year, he made his ODI debut against the Netherlands, scoring 56 in a washout before the series was called off due to the Omicron variant of Covid.

When the squad for the series against Bangladesh was named, Hamza had withdrawn from both the Test and ODI series due to 'personal reasons.'

Meanwhile, the ODI series between South Africa and Bangladesh is levelled after two matches. Bangladesh won the first ODI match by 38 runs. This was the first time Bangladesh beat South Africa in an ODI. South Africa came back with a seven-wicket win in the next match. The deciding match is underway at the South Park Centurion. The Test series will begin on the 31st of March at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.