Exclusive: ASIF and AKHTAR cleared of doping

[melb4aust]

Akhtar, Asif cleared of doping
From correspondents in Karachi
December 05, 2006 PAKISTAN fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have had their bans for doping overturned, the chairman of an appeals committee said today (AEDT).

A three-member committee had been looking into the two-year ban handed to Akhtar and the one-year ban given to Asif last month after the pair tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

"Retired Justice Fakhruddin Ibrahim, the committee's head, addressed a press conference to announce the decision.

The other members of the committee are former Test cricketer Haseeb Ahsan and doping expert Dr. Danish Zaheer.

Akhtar, 31, and Asif, 23, were caught by internal PCB tests and then pulled out of Pakistan's squad from the Champions Trophy in India in October.

Both Akhtar and Asif claim they never knowingly took banned substances and filed appeals.

Agence France-Presse

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20876548-23212,00.html

 

[melb4aust]

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/dec2006-daily/05-12-2006/index.html

 

[vnomad]

I thought the ban was a gone decision. I assumed the appeal was to reduce the terms of the ban. Good news for Pakistan. Akhtar seems to be a nice guy, but his Punjabi-Irish accent is horrible.

 

[ali ahmad]

great news for pakistan cricket team they were missing srike bowlers and ad one for lara and co.

i hope now pakistan can win one days..

 

[Keysersoze]

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched....A few other organisations will have to get involved first. Like the ICC and WADA and they might have objections......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/pakistan/6149596.stm

 

[Awesome]

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched....A few other organisations will have to get involved first. Like the ICC and WADA and they might have objections......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/pakistan/6149596.stm

The case was never referred to the ICC. They should have no role to play. But I know that racist organization would have some wrench to throw at the wheel.

 

[Keysersoze]

Well they do have the ability to refuse to allow them to play in ICC events. Plus WADA will be able to throw in their two cents.....It's very sticky ground when it comes to drug testing. Several athletes have spents years in court trying to get bans lifted.

 

[Neo]

I thought the ban was a gone decision. I assumed the appeal was to reduce the terms of the ban. Good news for Pakistan. Akhtar seems to be a nice guy, but his Punjabi-Irish accent is horrible.

Yeah...me thought so tooo.
So what does it mean, they'll play in the World Cup now?

 

[melb4aust]

Well they do have the ability to refuse to allow them to play in ICC events. Plus WADA will be able to throw in their two cents.....It's very sticky ground when it comes to drung testing. Several athletes have spents years in court trying to get bans lifted.

Negative thoughts

 

[EagleEyes]

Heard an interview by PCB Chairman today. He said they are clear. They took the nutrients when they were on a tour, it was available, and was legal. Now they don't know if there was some nutrient that was banned in it.

His words!

 

[KashifAsrar]

This case was a political case right from the beginning. It is still a political case. PCB administration officials were involved in petty politics with Shoeb particularly. The idea is to stop them playing in Champions trophy. I heard from one Pakistani friend in S.A. that a large amount of money was payed to new PCB cheif.
Kashif

 

[araz]

This case was a political case right from the beginning. It is still a political case. PCB administration officials were involved in petty politics with Shoeb particularly. The idea is to stop them playing in Champions trophy. I heard from one Pakistani friend in S.A. that a large amount of money was payed to new PCB cheif.
Kashif

Kashif
As Salam o Alaikum.
I think there are a few points worthy of discussion. It was not just a political case.nobody has denied the presence of Nandralone, a banned drug in the urine of both the players. It could not have been discounted. The political intonations are only that PCB wanted to keep a squeeky clean image, and therefore rightly got the players out of the game and proceeded ahead with the inquiry and subsequent Ban. The third very sticky issue was did they take steroids knowingly or not? I guess nobody can answer the question except the bowlers themselves. Personally I think not.
The technical issue is whether the board fulfilled its duties by giving players adequate information and were the tests conducted in accordance with WADA requirements. I think this is one area where there was room to maneouvre. If money has been exchanged, it would be on this issue. If one is considering bribes then the members of the Appellate Board would also have had to be involved. I can find out more, but as far as I remember Just.F.G. Ibrahim has a generally clean image. Whether there are isssues raised by WADA or ICC is yet to be seen, but I think personally, there are going to be a few raised eyebrows, and a few questions as well.
However for the game, and Pakistan, it is good to have Shoaib and Asif back.I suspect the board is going to ease them back in gradually so that subsequent tests when conducted would allow the substance to clear from the body and no further issues are raised.
WaSalam
Araz

 

[Keysersoze]

Well here is the first reaction!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/pakistan/6213392.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/12/06/ucwada06.xml

http://www.cricket365.com/news/story_22887.shtml

 

[Janbaz]

I was watching South Asian news(OMNI) sports yesterday and a PCB official instead of Asif said Arif l! Can you believe it!:wall:

 

[Awesome]

They trusted Pakistan when they did the tests and and withdrew their top bowlers.

But when they've determined them to be not guilty, there is an issue?

The bans were placed prematurely and thus allowed to be appealed. Appealing is a legitimate move.