England’s Cricket Regulator has revealed that veteran Australian T20 batter Chris Lynn served a one-month ban after testing positive for cocaine following Northamptonshire’s T20 Blast Finals Day triumph in July.
Lynn, 36, undertook a standard anti-doping test on Finals Day on 18 July, when he scored 39 in the semi-final and four in the final as Northants lifted the trophy. His urine sample was analysed in France and confirmed the presence of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, ESPNcricinfo reported.
After the Blast, Lynn travelled to Sri Lanka for the Lanka Premier League and made one appearance for Galle Gallants before being ruled out with a leg injury on 29 July. Two days later the Cricket Regulator notified him of the adverse finding and provisionally suspended him.
Lynn admitted out-of-competition use
About three weeks later, Lynn confirmed he had used cocaine “during a period of several hours across the evening of 15 July 2026 and into the early hours of 16 July 2026”, according to the regulator’s account carried by ESPNcricinfo and BBC Sport. Earlier that evening he had been forced to retire hurt in Northants’ quarter-final win over Gloucestershire.
The Regulator accepted Lynn’s assertion that the use occurred out of competition and was unrelated to sporting performance. An expert assigned by the regulator supported that view, BBC Sport reported.
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Ban cut after treatment programme
Lynn was initially charged under two articles of the ECB’s anti-doping rules. One charge was later dropped because the cocaine level in his sample was below the minimum required for a World Anti-Doping Agency charge, ESPNcricinfo reported.
The Regulator initially intended a three-month suspension, reduced to one month after Lynn completed a “substance of abuse treatment programme”. The ban ran from 31 July to 30 August 2026. Northamptonshire will receive no sanction, the regulator confirmed.
Fox Sports Australia said details of the incident only became public on Friday morning Australian time, months after the ban was served.
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BBL future
Lynn has not played professional cricket since the start of the ban. He has not yet officially signed for the upcoming Big Bash League season. Nine.com.au noted News Corp reporting this week that the Melbourne Renegades were poised to sign him; that deal had not been confirmed by either club at the time of writing.
Lynn played four ODIs and 18 T20 internationals for Australia, with his last national appearance in 2018.
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