Zimbabwe Cricket Suspends These ‘Two Key Players’ Over Alleged Anti-Doping Breach
Zimbabwe Cricket suspends Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta with immediate effect.(x.com)
In a recent development that has sent shockwaves through the cricketing community, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced the immediate suspension of all-rounders Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta. The suspension stems from an alleged breach of anti-doping rules, with both players reportedly testing positive for a banned recreational drug during an in-house doping test.
At 23, Wessly Madhevere, a versatile cricketer, has made a mark in Zimbabwe's cricket, featuring 98 matches across formats. His recent outing was in a Twenty20 clash against Ireland on December 10. Meanwhile, 26-year-old leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta, having represented Zimbabwe 26 times, concluded his international stint in an ODI against Ireland on December 17.
Zimbabwe Cricket released an official statement addressing the situation, stating,
"Zimbabwe Cricket has immediately suspended two national players from all cricket activities, pending a hearing, over alleged violations of anti-doping rules."
The governing body revealed that the suspensions followed an out-of-competition doping test, where both Madhevere and Mavuta tested positive for the prohibited substance.
"The players in question, Wessly Madhevere, and Brandon Mavuta, reportedly yielded positive results for a prohibited recreational substance in an out-of-competition scenario documented during a recent internal doping examination," the statement added.
The players have been charged under the Zimbabwe Cricket Code of Conduct for players and team officials and are set to appear for a disciplinary hearing soon.
This development comes at a challenging juncture for Zimbabwe Cricket. Following their failure to qualify for the 2023 World Cup and the unexpected losses against Associate teams Namibia and Uganda, the team faced another setback as coach Dave Houghton resigned from his position, citing a loss of control over the dressing room.
"I have always had Zimbabwe cricket at heart, and, though my coaching of the national team comes to an end, I would love to be involved in other areas," said Houghton. Despite the challenging times, he highlighted the enormous talent base in Zimbabwe and emphasized the need to transition players from being talented to performing well on the international stage.
Zimbabwe's cricketing woes continue as they gear up to face Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI and a three-match T20I series scheduled for January.
 "Sumit Gupta")
