Pakistan bowler Yasir Shah tests positive for banned substance; provisionally suspended by ICC

In a shocking development on Sunday, 27 December, the International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended Pakistan international cricketer Yasir Shah after the spin bowler tested positive for a banned substance.

In a press release, ICC informed that chlortalidone, a Prohibited Substance which appears in Section 5 of the WADA Prohibited List (in the category of Specified Substances), was found in the sample provided by Shah during an in-competition test conducted on 13 November, 2015.

Shah will now remain on suspension until the matter is further dealt with by ICC in accordance with the Anti-Doping Code.

With Pakistan cricket already hit by a controversy following the return of Mohammad Amir, who was earlier banned for spot-fixing, the new development will come as a major blow to the sport in the country.