Anti-Doping 2025: Data, Trends, and Progress
In 2025, the ICC reinforced its commitment to clean sport through a strengthened anti-doping programme focussed on education, prevention and detection. Across the year, key initiatives targeted players, support personnel and Members to ensure improved awareness, compliance and confidence in cricket’s integrity.
Education remains central to the ICC’s anti-doping strategy, equipping players and support personnel with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions. At the ICC U19 Women’s T20WC last year, the ICC delivered an integrity workshop followed by an interactive education session, underscoring the importance of helping young players build the awareness and self-assurance needed to make responsible choices. The ICC also delivered in-person education to players and support staff in the lead up to Champions Trophy and the U19 Asia Cup. In 2025, the ICC also developed a Key Anti-Doping Messages video with a focus on player responsibilities and highlighting doping risks. This video is available on the ICC website.
The ICC’s testing programme in 2025 adopted a more refined risk-based, intelligence-led approach, increasing investment per test while reducing overall volumes. This shift from quantity to quality, enabled a more targeted and impactful programme. The ICC accounted for approximately 30% of all samples collected across the sport cricket. In total, 1445 samples were collected, with a 70-30 split between men’s and women’s cricket. A further 63% percent of testing was conducted as no notice out-of-competition testing, reinforcing a focus on unannounced doping control.
Urine samples made up 92% of all collections. Testing was conducted by 22 testing authorities ranging from Full Members such as the UK and India to Associate Members including Bhutan and Romania. These figures serve as a clear reminder that testing can take place anywhere, at any time, and players should always be prepared.
In 2025, a total of nine Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) were reported, of which six resulted in sanctions ranging from one month to five years, with three cases still in progress. Of the findings, five involved substances of abuse and two involved anabolic steroids. Two AAFs resulted from ICC initiated testing while seven resulted from testing authorised by other anti-doping organisations. All players involved were male.
Given the breadth of testing across regions in 2025, education plays a critical role in protecting players from inadvertent doping violations due to a lack of awareness. This is evidenced with more than 50% of cases arising from Associate Member players.
Building on last year’s progress, priorities for 2026 include continued focus on high-quality testing and the expansion of education initiatives to support Members in ensuring their players and support staff are equipped with the knowledge and information needed to protect the integrity of cricket.