Authorities here have detained Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif on suspicion of possessing an illegal substance. Mr. Asif was detained at the airport at around 8 a.m. local time on Sunday while on his way to Lahore from Mumbai. He was returning home after the IPL Twenty20 league.
At a press conference in Lahore on Tuesday, Shafqat Naghmi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said: “Asif has not been charge-sheeted as yet for possessing any drugs or banned substances. The substance found on him has been sent for laboratory tests after which the situation will become clearer.”
The suspected contraband was reportedly recovered from Mr. Asif’s wallet.
The PCB official expressed optimism about the possibility of Mr. Asif’s early return home.
“We are hopeful he will return home and if that happens, that itself would be an indication that he is innocent. So there would be no question of taking any disciplinary action against him,” he said.
Analysts say that the episode is no longer a legal issue and has now acquired a political dimension. The Pakistani embassy has been been holding talks with authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both countries have close bilateral ties. A leading law firm has been engaged to defend him.
Pakistani cricket officials are also dismissing as speculation, a report by a local television channel that Mr. Asif was detained following a brawl at the airport. “I really don’t know because neither Asif nor the local authorities have mentioned this to me,” Geo television quoted Nadeem Akram, PCB’s Human Resource Director, who has arrived here, as saying.
Customs officials say that after his detention, he was handed over to the drugs unit of the Dubai police. Samples of his blood and urine have been taken for analysis.
Mr. Asif was banned for one year after he tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in October 2006.
He is part of a 16-member squad picked on Monday for a one-day tri-series tournament in Bangladesh.
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