Ireland’s Rebecca Stokell has acknowledged breaching the ICC’s anti-doping regulations following an “adverse finding for a specified substance” in her sample from this year’s T20 World Cup. Consequently, she has entered a voluntary suspension starting from 23 October 2026, pending the disciplinary procedure’s outcome, as mentioned in an ICC statement.
In the statement, the ICC confirmed that Stokell admitted to the breach after being notified, attributing it to her use of prescription medication. Cricket Ireland described the incident as an “inadvertent breach of the reporting requirements,” elaborating that the substance was not performance-enhancing.
“I fully accept my mistake and have voluntarily entered into a period of suspension ahead of the findings being returned,” stated Stokell. “While this was not performance related in any way, I understand that I am responsible for following the anti-doping guidelines and I hope that I can be back playing for Ireland as soon as possible.”
Rebecca Stokell, 26, boasts experience with 29 ODIs and 80 T20Is since her international debut in 2017. Her sample came from a routine test conducted on 23 June 2026. On that day, she participated in Ireland’s T20 World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in Bristol, an encounter Ireland lost by nine wickets. Ireland exited the tournament with one win from five matches, triumphing over West Indies in their final group game.
Throughout the tournament, Stokell featured in all five fixtures, aggregating 40 runs at a 10-run average, her highest score standing at 16*. Her recent international participation was during the ODI series against England in September, which concluded with a 3-0 defeat for Ireland. So far, she has compiled 468 runs in ODIs and 908 in T20Is, with three and one half-centuries, respectively.
Stokell is hopeful for a prompt return to play once the legal process reaches a conclusion.
