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Ireland Batter Rebecca Stokell Accepts Voluntary Suspension Over Anti-doping Breach

The International Cricket Council: Ireland womens batter Rebecca Stokell has accepted a voluntary suspension after admitting to an anti-doping rule violation linked to her use of prescription medication. Rebecca is now awaiting the outcome of an International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation. Rebecca has accepted responsibility for an inadvertent breach of the reporting requirements around the use of prescription medication. While the breach was unintentional and the substance has been acknowledged as non-performance enhancing, she has admitted that she did not comply with the regulations and accepts that she is likely to be suspended from the game. The sample was collected during an in-competition test on June 23, and her suspension has been in effect since October 23. Any sanction will be decided once the ICCs disciplinary process has run its course. The International Cricket Council has announced that Ireland batter Rebecca Stokell has been notified of an alleged anti-doping rule violation after a sample she provided during an in-competition test on 23 June 2026 returned an adverse finding for a Specified Substance. Following receipt of the notification, Ms Stokell has admitted the violation (which arose from her use of prescription medication) and accepted a voluntary suspension effective 23 October 2026 pending the outcome of the disciplinary process. The ICC will not make any further comment until the matter is finally resolved, said the ICC in a statement on Monday. On her part, Rebecca, who has played 29 ODIs and 80 T20Is, said she had accepted her error and hoped to return soon. I fully accept my mistake and have voluntarily entered into a period of suspension ahead of the findings being returned. While this was not performance related in any way, I understand that I am responsible for following the Anti-Doping Guidelines and I hope that I can be back playing for Ireland as soon as possible, she said in a statement by Cricket Ireland. Cricket Ireland said it has stood by Rebecca, but said the case carried a message for the rest of its squad. While we feel very sorry for Rebecca and have provided the level of support appropriate in these circumstances, this incident does serve as a reminder to all our international players that the Anti-Doping Rules are in place to protect both the sport and the athletes themselves. While this was not performance related in any way, I understand that I am responsible for following the Anti-Doping Guidelines and I hope that I can be back playing for Ireland as soon as possible, she said in a statement by Cricket Ireland. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS