Asif Tested Positive During Ipl

[THE LEGEND]

Mohammad Asif has once again landed in trouble on charges of doping © AFP


Mohammad Asif has been confirmed as the player who tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League, the IPL has announced.

Asif, who was detained in Dubai for possession of contraband drugs last month, will now have the right to request that his 'B' sample [supplied at the same time as the one that tested positive] be sent for analysis, which he and his representative can attend along with an IPL representative.

The chances that it was a player from Pakistan had increased after confirmation by a Pakistan board official that there had been contact on the issue with the BCCI.

In a related development, it is also learnt that the announcement of Pakistan's 30-man list of probables for the Champions Trophy - due to be revealed today - has also been delayed by another day. The release of the names has already been delayed from last week, after disagreements between selectors and a board committee over some names in the list and confusion over Shoaib Akhtar's eligibility.

Cricinfo has learnt that the announcement of the squad was delayed till the identity of the player who tested positive was made public, in order to "avoid further controversy," according to an official.

The tests were carried out by IDTM, a Sweden-based independent agency, in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards after the IPL adopted the ICC's anti-doping code. The samples were forwarded to a WADA-approved laboratory in Switzerland for testing.

If the 'B' sample is also positive, the matter will be taken up by the IPL's drugs tribunal, comprising of Sunil Gavaskar, Dr Ravi Bapat (ex-Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences) and lawyer Shirish Gupte. The tribunal will study the issue and take a decision in accordance with the code.

Asif, along with Shoaib Akhtar, had tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone in PCB's internal tests ahead of the Champions Trophy. He was banned for one year, which was overturned on appeal. Asif also cleared a dope test in August 2007 ahead of the World Twenty20 in South Africa.