Chris Lynn served one-month ban after cocaine test

England’s Cricket Regulator said Chris Lynn has served a one-month suspension after a sample collected during the T20 Blast Finals Day on July 18, 2026, tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. Lynn was playing for Northamptonshire Steelbacks at the time. The regulator announced the sanction after the suspension had been completed. According to the regulator’s findings, Lynn admitted using cocaine on July 15 and 16. He argued that the use took place out of competition and was unrelated to sporting performance. The regulator accepted that argument, finding the violation fell under rules that prohibit cocaine only in competition. The regulator initially imposed a three-month suspension, which it reduced to one month after Lynn completed a substance-abuse treatment programme. The ban was served retrospectively from July 31 to August 30, 2026. The regulator’s decision, as reported, also said a charge was dropped because the measured level was below the minimum required under world anti-doping rules; Lynn accepted the remaining charge relating to the metabolite in his sample. The positive result followed a routine anti-doping test on Finals Day, when...