Adil Najam
The decision on the doping case is finally in and Pakistan fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been hit by bans after testing positive for nadrolone. Shoaib is out for 2 years and Asif for one.
According to CricInfo:
Both men tested positive in the build-up to the Champions Trophy, and were pulled out of Pakistan’s squad on October 16, the day before their opening game. The ban could effectively end Shoaib’s career, because he will be 33 by the time the ban is lifted. The testing had been conducted internally by the PCB, and a three-man tribunal comprising barrister Shahid Hamid, the former captain Intikhab Alam and Waqar Ahmed, a medical expert, had conducted an inquiry.
Both men had been recovering from injuries in the weeks and months building up to their positive tests, with Shoaib suffering from knee and ankle problems and Asif fighting back from a shoulder problem that forced him to miss much of Pakistan’s tour of England last summer. Shoaib initially denied any misconduct, saying: “I have not knowingly taken any performance enhancing drugs and would never cheat my team-mates or opponents in this way.” But earlier this week, both men declined the offer of a retest on their B samples, which implied that they did not question the results. Both men are, however, entitled to appeal against their ban.
“We gave a full chance to both the pacemen to fight their cases and after a thorough inquiry we feel they failed to prove their innocence,” said Hamid, the chairman of the panel. “The process of doping was investigated carefully. We made sure the tests were conducted properly, samples reached the laboratory in Malaysia safely and there was no error in testing in the laboratory. “Both the players were satisfied and accepted the tests and gave their point of view but after a thorough inquiry and bound by the Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) we reached the decision.”
Hamid explained why the two had received different sentences. “Akhtar contested the case saying that he has been on a high-protein diet which contained beef, chicken meat and other dietary supplements and he also said he took some herbal medicines from a Hakim (herbal expert) but he couldn’t prove them.” Under the ICC’s doping rules, a two-year ban is the minimum penalty for a first offence. However, the PCB said all along it will take its own decisions, since the tests were conducted internally. As a younger member of the squad, Asif, 24 next month, has been let off comparatively lightly, and can be expected to fight again for his place next year. For Shoaib, however, the final curtain could be falling on an eventful and controversial career. Both players do, however, have the right to appeal and, if they do, a separate tribunal will be conducted.
For Pakistan cricket as a whole, the verdict marks the end of an unpalatable three-month period, which began with the ball-tampering controversy at The Oval, which led to the first forfeiture in Test history and a four-ODI suspension for their captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq. Younis Khan, Inzamam’s stand-in, then resigned on the eve of the Champions Trophy, claiming he did not wish to be a “dummy” captain, only to be reinstated following the resignation of the PCB’s exasperated chairman, Shahrayar Khan.
Ali these re not my words and its official PCB statment so no personal opinion is being discussed at this time. You would have read sources like BBC urdu? =)
do yu guys know that Asif is not in the list ICC awards anymore? he was listed in “Emergiing player of the year” category. Now only Yousuf is left in “Best test crickter of the year” category.
I’m disappointed in Shoaib and Asif AND also at the PCB. I mean, I’m not taking sides here but if you were a player and you knew that you would be tested on a particular date for something, would you still take the drug? I think even an addict would plan his “medication” to pass the test.
I think this whole incident represents the failure of the PCB to appropriately inform players of such things. As a person working in biotechnology research, I can tell you that an adequately-funded player can EASILY get together a team of biochemists and physicians and come up with an undetectable regiment….
Again, I’m not saying Shoaib is not guilty but I think it would be insane to assume that the Australians and others are not doing something similar…except they’re probably much smarter about it than we are.
Ok Adnan, when you are right you are right. I have read more on the issue and the lesser ban in his case seems the right call.
lol @ asma’s comment
Adnan,
I agree with you that it might be better to wait and see before making a decision in Asif’s case. However, I am still skeptical about why he refused to take the test again or fight the issues when given a chance - it is best to wait and see how this saga will unfold.
Ali: FYI, read the full statment
of PCB. From the above link:
37. The case of Mohammad Asif is on a somewhat different footing with regard to the level of his responsibility. Mohammad Asif became a regular member of the Pakistan Team in March 2006. He was not tested previously. It is not shown that he was ever present at any lecture or session with regard to the Anti Doping Regulations or list of prohibited substances. There is some doubt whether he was even handed over the WADA 2006 list of prohibited substances and WADA Athlete Guide prior to the departure of the team for the England tour in August 2006. He was amongst those who gave his sample on the very first date of sample taking viz 25.9.2006 and did not try and delay the sample taking. He said in response to a question put by us that he had been using Promax but had stopped as soon as the Team Physiotherapist told him to do so. Mr. Darryn Lifson the Team Physiotherapist has confirmed before us that Mohammad Asif stopped the use of Promax-50 (purchased by him locally) as soon as he was told to do so. We have ourselves noticed during the hearings that Mohammad Asif’s command of English is limited and we are clear that he could not possibly have understood the WADA publications without someone helping him to understand their contents. No such guidance or counseling was provided . He has stated before us that he is unable to explain why his urine sample has tested positive for the nandrolone metabolite.
Umera & Ali, don’t jump into conclusion. This is the official PCB statment about Asif and even PCB considers him innocent.
They should have banned Asif for two years also. I would rather the Pakistani team lose every match than them cheating. It is emblematic of the national character where people feel they are above laws and ethical codes. In the rest of the world, cheating is considered the gravest crime in sports. Whether it was intentional or not, shouldn’t matter. Ignorance is not a defence.
And please don’t blame the board. They might just have prevented these guys getting caught by ICC in India. If anything, we should applaud the fact that the board took the courageous step to root out these corrupted star athletes from the team. And don’t worry. We are a nation of 200 million playing just one sport. We’ll have replacements soon.
I have very little sympathy for both of them. Ignorance is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. They are paid a lot of money, represent Pakistan on international level and it is their duty to educate themselves about what they are eating. What did they think they were consuming sugar portions or magic beans? There are enough scandals involving drugs in sports for them to be aware of the problem and they have no justification for claiming oblivion.