Find the latest cricket news globally on Wisden’s daily wrap of stories and updates from the cricketing world for December 21.

Zimbabwe duo banned

Zimbabwe have suspended national cricketers Wesley Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta “for recreational drug use”. However, the board didn’t clarify the drugs involved nor the date when the two failed the drug test.

“The concerned players, Wesley Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, both tested positive for a banned recreational drug in an out-of-competition case recorded during a recent in-house doping test,” Zimbabwe Cricket issued a statement.

“They have been charged under the Zimbabwe Cricket Code of Conduct for players and team officials and will appear for a disciplinary hearing soon.”

Tom Curran suspended for four BBL 2023/24 games

Tom Curran, starring for Sydney Sixers in the BBL 2023/24 season, has been banned for four matches for “intimidating”an  umpire. Curran was guilty of committing a Level 3 offence under the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct during the BBL clash against Hobart Hurricanes on December 11.

However, Rachael Haynes, the Head of Sydney Sixers, came in support of Curran, saying the club would appeal the decision: “Tom and the club maintain that Tom did not knowingly or intentionally intimidate a match official, and on legal advice, we will exercise our right to appeal the decision.

“We will support Tom during this period and look forward to him returning to the field.”

Khurram Shahzad ruled out of Australia Test series

Pakistan pacer Khurram Shahzad was sidelined from the remaining Australia tour due to a rib stress fracture and abdominal muscle tear. Shahzad showed signs of discomfort while bowling on debut in the first Test in Perth and was sent for scans. The results revealed a fracture in his left tenth rib, ruling him out of clashes in Melbourne and Sydney.

The pacer had an impressive outing on his debut, scalping Steve Smith twice, including figures of 3-45 in the second innings. David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne were his other victims.

Mohammed Siraj posts cryptic ‘heartbreak’ story on Instagram

On Thursday, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj became the latest Indian cricketer to post cryptic messages on social media as he shared a story on Instagram featuring five broken heart emojis. Fans couldn’t help but speculate the reason while deciphering the post.

Few argued that RCB’s lukewarm IPL 2024 auction could be the reason, while many suggested that it was due to the captaincy fiasco which unfolded between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in the Mumbai Indians. Many claimed that he was not nominated for the Arjuna Award like his teammate Mohammad Shami could be another reason.

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