Afghanistan wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad has been handed a 12-month suspension from all cricket related activities after he pleaded guilty to breaching the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code.

The Afghan cricketer had failed an ICC out-of-competition testing progamme in Dubai on January 17, 2017.

Shahzad’s sample was subsequently found to contain traces of clenbuterol after testing. The drug is classified as a non-specified substance under the World Anti Doping Agency’s (WADA) Prohibited List.

The wicketkeeper-batsman admitted to the violation and has been handed a suspended sentence which started on the day he failed his dope test.

Hence, Shahzad will be able to return to cricket in over a month on January 17, 2018.

The 29-year-old had stated that he had inadvertently ingested the substance as a contaminant for a weight-loss programme he was undertaking at the time.

The ICC has accepted this reasoning from the Afghan player while making its final assessment, leading to a much more lenient sentence than the maximum four-years Shahzad could have been suspended for.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the ICC’s zero-tolerance approach to doping, and reminds all international cricketers that they remain personally responsible for ensuring that anything they eat, drink or put into their bodies does not result in an anti-doping rule violation,” ICC General Manager Geoff Allardice said in a press release on Thursday.

“It further serves as a reminder to all international cricketers of the dangers and risks associated with taking supplements. Before thinking about taking a supplement, cricketers should weigh up the risks and dangers of doing so and should fully research the supplement in question so they can make an informed decision” the statement from Allardice added.

Shahzad has been an integral part in the rapid rise of Afghanistan over the past few years which has seen them being awarded with a full ICC membership in July this year, hence making them eligible to play Test cricket.