Lynn Handed One-Month Suspension After Cocaine Finding

Former Australia batter Chris Lynn has been suspended for one month by the ECB’s Cricket Regulator after cocaine was detected in a drug test conducted during the finals day of the T20 Blast on July 18.

Lynn, who was representing Northamptonshire in the competition, has accepted the sanction.

The regulator’s report detailed the chain of events. Lynn’s urine sample was sent to the WADA-accredited laboratory in France for analysis and returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for cocaine’s metabolite benzoylecgonine. Cocaine is listed under section S.6A of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List as a stimulant, a non-specified substance prohibited in competition only, and is specifically identified as a substance of abuse.

Timeline of the Process

The Cricket Regulator notified Lynn of the findings on July 31 and informed him he was provisionally suspended. On August 20, Lynn responded to the charge, confirming he had used cocaine on July 15 and 16.

In his response, Lynn asserted that his offence amounted to an out-of-competition Anti-Doping Rules violation and was unrelated to sporting performance. He provided evidence to support his account that the ingestion occurred out of competition.

On September 23, the Cricket Regulator issued Lynn a formal notice charging him. That notice also stated the regulator had accepted his explanations regarding the violation occurring out of competition.

The one-month suspension brings the matter to a close, with Lynn having cooperated throughout the process and accepted the outcome.

                                               

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