Australian fast bowler Megan Schutt has been banned for two matches after breaching Cricket Australia’s guidelines on prescription medication, and she has apologised.
Cricket Australia confirmed the suspension in a release on the afternoon of Thursday 22 October, ABC News reported. The ban applies to all international and domestic cricket, so it covers the WBBL as well as matches for Australia.
Cricket Australia is the governing body for the sport in Australia.
“The breach was a failure to adhere to requirements under the Sports Science and Sports Medicine guidelines with regard to prescription medication,” Cricket Australia said, according to the ABC.
The governing body added: “This relates to a single incidence which occurred while out of competition and was not for performance-enhancing purposes.”
The case does not involve a positive test or an anti-doping violation. It concerns the rules on prescription medication set out in the Sports Science and Sports Medicine guidelines.
Schutt Apologises
“I fully accept the penalty handed down and apologise for failing to meet the standards expected of me,” Schutt said in her statement, ABC News reported.
She said: “I’m sorry for the attention this has caused and appreciate the support I’ve received.”
Players are regularly educated on the guidelines, Schutt said, and she accepted that following them was her responsibility. “While this occurred out of competition and was not performance related, I understand that I am responsible for following the Sports Science and Sports Medicine Guidelines, which players receive regular education on, and I should have adhered to these guidelines,” she said.
Cricket Australia said in a statement, reported by the Guardian: “We will continue to provide appropriate support to Megan and reinforce the standards and responsibilities expected of everyone representing our game.”
When She Can Bowl Again
The announcement came on the day the three-match T20 series against New Zealand finished at North Sydney. Schutt had not played in that series, the ABC reported.
She served the first match of her suspension on the night of Thursday 22 October, when Australia’s T20 international against New Zealand in Sydney was washed out, according to the Guardian. That match was the third and last of the series. The ban is counted in matches, and the washed-out fixture counted as one of the two.
The Guardian reported that she is expected to serve the second when the Adelaide Strikers open their WBBL campaign against the Melbourne Stars on Saturday 31 October. The WBBL is Australia’s domestic women’s T20 competition, and the Strikers are Schutt’s club side. If the second match falls there, the ban will be complete at the end of it.
The suspension follows a strong series with the ball. Schutt starred in the recent three-match one-day international series against Bangladesh, finishing with series figures of 10-71, ABC News reported. That is ten wickets for 71 runs across the three matches.
Schutt is 33 and made her international debut in 2012. According to the Guardian, she has taken 319 wickets in 244 internationals, made up of four Tests, 114 one-day internationals and 126 T20s. That record places her among the top 10 wicket-takers of all time in women’s cricket.
More from the domestic and international game is in our Cricket section.
Sources: ABC News, “Australia’s Megan Schutt suspended for two matches over prescription medication guidelines”, 22 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-22/australian-bowler-megan-schutt-suspended-two-matches-medication/107297688); The Guardian, “Australia bowler Megan Schutt apologises after ban for medication misuse”, 22 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/22/australia-megan-schutt-ban-new-zealand-womens-cricket-third-t20-international)
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Megan Schutt bowls for Australia on the third day of the day-night Women’s Ashes Test at North Sydney Oval in November 2017.
