Asif to appear before India doping tribunal
KARACHI, Thursday (AFP)
Asif further faces a possible ban or fine from the Pakistan Cricket
Board after he was detained in Dubai, while returning from the IPL, on
charges of possessing an illegal drug.
Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif will fly to Mumbai early Thursday
to appear before an Indian tribunal in a bid to clear his name of doping
allegations that have stalled his career, his lawyer said.
The 25-year-old tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone
during the Indian Premier League (IPL) competition held between April
and June this year and has since been suspended from all forms of
cricket.
"Asif and I are flying to Mumbai early Thursday and will appear
before the three-member IPL tribunal.
We hope to fight this case out to our best abilities," Asif's lawyer,
Shahid Karim, told AFP on Wednesday.
Michael Graham, a sports medicine expert, will also fly to Mumbai to
back Asif's case, he said.
The lanky fast bowler faces a possible two-year ban from
international cricket. The IPL is sanctioned by the International
Cricket Council (ICC) and any ban would automatically be adopted by the
Pakistan Cricket Board as well. His B sample also tested positive for
nandrolone in August, but his lawyer says a disparity with the quantity
found in the A sample has given Asif confidence.
Asif also tested positive for nandrolone in 2006, along with fellow
paceman Shoaib Akhtar. He was banned for one year and Akhtar for two,
but the bans were overturned on appeal.
Asif further faces a possible ban or fine from the Pakistan Cricket
Board after he was detained in Dubai, while returning from the IPL, on
charges of possessing an illegal drug.
He was held for 19 days before police deported him.
The IPL's drugs tribunal comprises former India captain Sunil
Gavaskar, Ravi Bapat, the former vice chancellor of India's Maharashtra
University of Health Sciences, and lawyer Shirish Gupte.
Asif, who has played 11 Tests and 31 one-day matches, last month said
he was confident that the discrepancies between the two samples would
help clear him and that he was desperate to get back to playing cricket. |