Zimbabwe bans duo for four months, third player charged, over drug use

HARARE (Agencies): Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has banned national team players Wesley Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta from playing for four months after they were found guilty of recreational drug use, with a third player now facing a similar charge. The ban is effectively a slap on the wrist for all-rounders Madhevere and Mavuta, as the Zimbabwe national team has no fixtures scheduled for the period of their suspension. They have also been fined the equivalent of half of their ZC salaries for three months. “As they undergo rehabilitation overseen by ZC medical personnel, they have also been ordered to train under ZC’s High Performance programme,” a ZC statement said on Thursday. “The (Disciplinary) Committee also considered some mitigating factors, with both players showing remorse and having already started working on withdrawing from the habit and getting their systems clean.” The two players were found guilty of breaching the ZC Employment Code of Conduct following an in-house doping test in December. Batter Kevin Kasuza, who has been suspended pending a hearing after he too tested positive for a banned recreational drug last week, could face a similar ruling.