LAHORE, Dec 30: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has received a notice from the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) through the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), regarding its appeal against the exoneration of pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif from the doping case by the PCB.

Chairman PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf told a press conference on Saturday that the board, in a response to the notice, had also given a short reply.

The chairman disclosed the notice asked the PCB to reply in seven days, but he had replied that it was not possible to meet the deadline since the Eid-ul-Azha holidays had started in Pakistan.

The chairman said the notice also advised the PCB to deliver the copies of the notice to Shoaib and Asif, but he added that the board had refused as it was WADA’s job, saying, “It is the responsibility of WADA to directly post the copies of the notice to Shoaib and Asif.”

He said the PCB would fight the case, despite the fact it believed it did not come under the jurisdiction of WADA or the CAS. “The PCB is neither a signatory of WADA nor that of the Copenhagen Agreement, therefore, the case is beyond their (WADA and CAS) jurisdiction,” he said.

“The Pakistan government may have signed the Copenhagen Agreement, but the PCB is an autonomous body, having its own constitution, therefore, the case does not come under the jurisdiction of WADA,” he insisted.However, the chairman said the PCB had great desire to be a part of WADA in future, adding that then it would follow their policy.

He said the England-based lawyer Mark Guy would fight the PCB's case before the CAS. “Our lawyer is confident of Pakistan's success as he believes both the bowlers could be punished had the case been dealt with the WADA policy but not if the PCB policy was considered,” he stated.

He pointed out that the arbitration committee had not yet set any date for a hearing.

Dr Nasim said the PCB had been taking steps to create awareness among the players about the consequences of doping and ball-tampering. “Special lectures were delivered on doping and ball-tampering during the entire home series against the West Indies,” he informed.