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Shoaib, Asif to
miss Champions Trophy after testing positive in
doping test! |
October 16, 2006
 Pakistan
have received yet another major jolt to their
Champions Trophy campaign with match winning
fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif
testing positive in a doping test. Shoaib Akhtar
and Mohammad Asif are forced to return back to
Pakistan following this and would not be taking
any part in the tournament. Pakistan had already
lost the services of Inzamam-ul-Haq who got a
ban for bringing the game into disrepute during
the infamous Oval Test. Pakistan are to play
their first match of the Champions Trophy
against Sri Lanka tomorrow at Jaipur.
It is learnt that the Pakistan Cricket Board had
conducted an internal drug test more than 10
days back and the samples were tested at a
laboratory in Malaysia. Both players have taken
some performance-enhancing drugs according to
the reports. Both Akhtar and Asif had returned
back to competitive cricket only recently after
their respective injuries. This is not the first
time that cricketers have been suspended from
playing after testing positive for banned
substances. In 2003, Shane Warne was tested
positive for using a prohibited method to
enhance performance and had to miss the
tournament which was later known to be a
diuretic which was to reduce his weight. Warne
had to be banned by the Australian Board for one
year. Only time will tell what kind of action
the PCB and the ICC take on the two Pakistani
fast bowlers.
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