Megan Schutt suspended for two matches over prescription medication breach

Australia fast bowler Megan Schutt was suspended for two matches on Thursday, 22 October, after Cricket Australia said she had failed to follow its requirements for prescription medication. The ban rules her out of Australia’s final Twenty20 international against New Zealand at North Sydney Oval that day and Adelaide Strikers’ Women’s Big Bash League opener against Melbourne Stars on 31 October, Reuters reported.

What Cricket Australia said about the breach

Cricket Australia described the breach as a failure to adhere to prescription medication requirements under its Sports Science and Sports Medicine guidelines, according to ABC News Australia. The governing body said it concerned a single incident outside competition and was not for performance-enhancing purposes. It did not identify the medication or specify what Schutt had failed to do.

The ABC reported that the suspension applies across international and domestic cricket. That means Schutt’s two missed fixtures fall in different competitions: Australia’s last match in the three-game New Zealand T20 series and the Strikers’ first match of the WBBL season. The New Zealand match was scheduled for North Sydney Oval on Thursday; the Strikers’ opener against Melbourne Stars is scheduled for 31 October.

Schutt’s recent form and Cricket Australia’s response

The suspension follows a recent three-match one-day international series against Bangladesh in which Schutt took 10 wickets for 71 runs, according to the ABC. The outlet reported that she had not played in the New Zealand T20 series before Thursday’s scheduled final match. Her absence from that game and the Strikers’ opener is therefore the immediate consequence of the sanction announced by Cricket Australia.

Cricket Australia said it would continue to provide Schutt with appropriate support and reinforce the standards and responsibilities expected of those involved in the game, the ABC reported. Schutt, 33, acknowledged that the guidelines apply to her despite the incident having occurred outside competition. Cricket Australia’s account identifies a breach of medication procedures, without alleging performance enhancement.