Sussex fast bowler Mitch Claydon has been banned for nine games by the ECB after admitting to a charge relating to altering the condition of the ball during a Bob Willis Trophy game against Middlesex.

The seamer was left out of the south coast’s side next six games. “Mitch Claydon is suspended pending the outcome of an ECB allegation of placing hand sanitiser on the ball in our match against Middlesex,” a statement from Sussex read at the time. “There will be no further comment at this stage.”

The Australia-born cricketer has pleaded guilty to breaching ECB directives 3.3 and 3.7.

Claydon’s nine-game suspension includes a six-game suspension imposed by Sussex after the Middlesex game and includes the T20 Blast quarter-final. With the Sharks now out of the T20 Blast, that means he will miss the first two games of the 2021 county season. Sussex CCC have also been charged with breaching ECB directives 3.3 and 3.7 and will face a Cricket Disciplinary Committee hearing in due course.