Ex-New Zealand Star, Who Played 28 Tests, Banned From County Cricket For Cocaine Use

Former New Zealand cricket team pacer Doug Bracewell was banned from county cricket after he tested positive for cocaine on for a second time. The cricketer was handed a two-year suspension by the England Cricket Board (ECB)'s Cricket Regulator for the violation during a match in September 2025. The sample was collected during a Division One match between Essex County Cricket Club and Somerset County Cricket Club in Chelmsford on September 25. According to reports, the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in London confirmed the presence of cocaine. Bracewell did not possess a  Therapeutic Use Exemption and he also admitted to using cocaine on the evening of September 24 and into the early hours of September 25.

The charge, brought under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the ECB Anti-Doping Rules, related to "both the presence and use of a prohibited substance". However, the cricket regulator said that the substance use was unrelated to sporting performance and that led to the two-year suspension which is in line with the punishment for substance abuse. 

Bracewell accepted the punishment and as a result, no hearing took place in the matter.

The suspension was backdated to November 24 and it will run to November 23, 2027. All results recorded between the date of the test and the provisional suspension were disqualified.

Bracewell, who played 28 Tests for New Zealand, announced his international retirement in December. 

"The Club supports the Cricket Regulator's decision to impose a period of ineligibility of two years. All employees are required to meet the highest standards of professional conduct. While the Club does not condone Bracewell's behaviour, we are committed to supporting him through rehabilitation in line with our policies and procedures. Essex County Cricket Club will not be sanctioned as part of the decision," the official statement from the county side read.

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