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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket have suspended two players from the National Premier League from all cricket activities, pending a hearing, over recreational drug use.
The concerned players, Scorpions batter Blessed Muzite and Takashinga Patriots 2 bowler Brighton Chipungu, both tested positive for marijuana during a recent in-house doping test.
They will appear for a disciplinary hearing soon.
The issue of recreational drugs has been problematic for ZC over the past two years even affecting senior national players.
In May, ZC cleared the Chevrons pair of Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta to return to competitive cricket after they had completed their four-month suspensions for drug use.
The ban was imposed after the two players had tested positive for a recreational drug during an in-house dope test in December.
As part of their rehabilitation, Madhevere and Mavuta were ordered to train under ZC’s high-performance programme.
They were also fined 50 percent of their salaries for three months starting January 2024.
Both players cleared drug tests conducted after their suspensions ended.
“It started as something that I was taking for fun and then it ended up as something that I was addicted to.
“I couldn’t sleep and most of the time I had loss of appetite and I ended up running to take marijuana . . . I regret it. It has been a lesson to me” Mavuta said via a ZC statement.
“It (the suspension) has been sort of a blessing in disguise because I had to spend more time focusing on my game and now, I am fitter and stronger.
“The advice I can give to people, youngsters or fellow sports-persons, is that it’s the worst thing to do — taking drugs — because it affects you in the long run and once you become (addicted), it will be very difficult for you to get back off it.
“I am hungrier, I am determined to bounce back and the bounce back is going to be even bigger than what I was before because I have been in the high performance (programme) for those four months.”
Madhevere said, “The lesson I took from it is, that I shouldn’t take anything for granted, as there will always be consequences for your actions.
“You have to think it through before doing stuff like that, especially taking drugs, especially knowing those kinds of drugs are not allowed.
“I think if you just respect whatever you are doing, whether it’s a job or something else, it will help you to make better decisions.
“Even though it might seem to be about fun and stuff, if you take it lightly you will end up being a drug addict.
“Just know that there will be consequences and if you know that it will help you to make better decisions.”
Online Reporter