Doug Bracewell, who dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, receives 2-year ban for consuming cocaine

In a shocking development, New Zealand’s star cricketer Doug Bracewell tested positive for cocaine during an English County Championship match last year. Following the test result, the Kiwi pacer, who announced retirement from international cricket in 2025, has been served a two-year ban to restrict him from participating in cricket-related activities.

The test report came while he was playing with Essex against Somerset at Chelmsford on September 25, 2025. The 35-year-old former New Zealand cricketer has admitted to his act, which went against cricket's standards.

Why did Doug Bracewell receive a 2-year ban?

According to the Fox Cricket report, Doug Bracewell admitted using cocaine after the first day of the fixture and in the early hours of the morning before the second day’s play. Despite taking retirement from international cricket, he has been handed a two-year ban. The bowler was about to play for Essex for the final three Championship matches of last season. Because of the ban, sanctioned by the Cricket Regulator, he will be out of any kind of cricket-related activities.

As the test was conducted in September last year, the duration of the 2-year ban will be valid from November 24, 2025, until November 23, 2027. Meanwhile, the pacer was found guilty of the same in 2024 as well. Doug Bracewell previously served a one-month ban in 2024 after testing positive for cocaine during New Zealand’s ‘Super Smash’ Twenty20 event.

The cricket club issued an official statement regarding this

“Essex can confirm that Doug Bracewell failed a routine drugs test in September 2025. 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,” the club said in an official statement on Friday.

‘While the club does not condone Bracewell’s behavior, we are committed to supporting him through rehabilitation in line with our policies and procedures.”

It is reported that Doug Bracewell has admitted the offence he had committed, hence the club will not face any consequences.

Bracewell has some notable wickets under his belt for the New Zealand cricket team

Doug Bracewell is a renowned face in world cricket who has represented the New Zealand National Cricket Team in 28 Tests, 21 ODIs, and 20 T20Is. In his Test career, he claimed 74 wickets in 51 innings. In the ODIs, his wicket-tally reads 26 in 21 matches. In the shortest format of the game, the bowlers took 20 wickets in 20 matches for an economy rate of 9.09. During his stints with the national team, he got the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and many notable batters. Overall, he played 69 international matches across formats.

He is part of the famous New Zealand cricketing family. BBC informed, Doug’s uncle John Bracewell played 28 Tests, and cousin Michael is a current Black Cap.

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