July 03, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 17, 1428

LAUSANNE (Switzerland), July 2: International sport's top court has dismissed an appeal by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) over reprieves for Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, saying it had no jurisdiction over the dispute.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) panel said in a statement that it had reached the conclusion “with some considerable regret.”

Shoaib and Asif tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in internal tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last year, and were banned for two years and one year respectively in November 2006.

However, a month later, both were controversially reinstated by a Pakistan appellate committee, prompting WADA to appeal to CAS in Lausanne.

The CAS, which set up a special panel first to examine Pakistani Cricket Board claims that it had no jurisdiction, found that the PCB does not provide a right of appeal to the international sports court.

Furthermore, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) code did not contain any rules that obliged the PCB to allow appeals to CAS, it added.

Shoaib and Asif were both removed from their country's squad for the Cricket World Cup in March and April. The PCB insisted they had missed the event because of injuries.

However, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said at the beginning of the tournament in Caribbean in March that the duo had escaped a drugs test by not being selected for the World Cup.

The PCB had announced beforehand that 11 of its 15-man squad and seven reserves had passed domestic, pre-World Cup dope tests, but both Shoaib and Asif were left out of the testing.

Meanwhile, the PCB chief said that the cricket board had been vindicated.

“The ruling by the CAS obviously shows that the procedure adopted by us was correct and justified,” PCB Chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf said from Glasgow where Pakistan are set to face India in a one-off One-day International on Tuesday..

“When we told the news to Shoaib and Asif both were very happy and relieved and said their innocence was proved,” the PCB chief remarked.

“We followed the rules and regulations and that is why we have won this case. The PCB's policy has been proven correct and we are satisfied by this,” he added.

Dr Nasim said the PCB is now fully in line with the anti-doping body's rules.

“Our new doping policy complies with WADA and we have strict rules on that,” he said.

“The important thing about this case was that players always said they took protein substances unknowingly and this decision exonerates them.”

“We feel it exonerates the two fast bowlers and vindicates our stance,” the PCB spokesman Ahsan Malik said.

“We did our best and were convinced that the matter was closed after the appeal committee exonerated the players. We feel the latest ruling vindicates our stance,” said Ahsan.—AFP