Cricketer's Four-Year Ban for Banned Steroid Use

A young cricketer’s bid to bulk up in the gym has ended in a four-year exile from the sport, after a sports tribunal rejected his explanation for importing a banned steroid.

The Sport Integrity Commission found that Smit committed two anti-doping rule violations — possession of Dianabol and attempted use — and ruled that he will be barred from competitive cricket until May 26, 2030.

A schoolboy decision that came back years later

Smit told investigators he ordered Dianabol from China in 2022 while he was still at school, saying he wanted to get bigger in the gym and insisting the purchase had nothing to do with cricket performance.

The steroid never arrived when he expected it. Instead, a parcel was intercepted on December 31, 2025, after what he described as a long, unexplained delay. By then, Smit was bound by anti-doping rules.

That timing proved crucial.

The commission noted there was no evidence that Smit had ever tried to cancel the order. He appeared to argue that the delay meant he no longer wanted the substance when it finally turned up, but there was nothing on record to back that up.

Bitcoin, missing records, and a rejected defence

Investigators pressed Smit for supporting material: messages with the supplier, proof of payment, transaction histories. He said he had none of it.

According to his account, he had paid in bitcoin and no longer had access to the account he used. There were no chats, no receipts, no screenshots.

The tribunal did not buy it.

It ruled that the 2025 delivery amounted to a new order, not a relic of his school days, which meant Smit was subject to anti-doping rules at the time the purchase was effectively made. On that basis, it concluded he had possessed the steroid and intended to use it, upholding both charges.

Compounding his problems, Smit failed to file a notice of defence despite being granted several extensions. With no substantive challenge on the table, the case closed in emphatic fashion.

His four-year ban has been backdated to May 26, 2026, the date of his provisional suspension, wiping out a significant chunk of his early career.

A warning shot to every level of the game

Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui chief executive Rebecca Rolls said the case underlined the real-world impact of clicking “buy” on banned substances.

“Anti-doping rules apply to and protect athletes at all levels,” she said.

“Buying banned substances online may seem low risk. The reality is that the consequences can be deeply harmful, affecting an athlete’s health, wellbeing, relationships, and their future in the sport they love.”

For Smit, that future is now on hold until 2030 — a stark marker for any young athlete tempted to chase shortcuts on the internet.