June 05, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 30, 1429

LAHORE, June 4: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Dr Nasim Ashraf while denying that lab reports on the substance found in fast bowler Mohammad Asif’s wallet have already been received, has said that a decision regarding the paceman’s detention at the Dubai airport is likely to come sometime on Thursday.

Talking to Dawn, the chairman said the lab report on the item found in Asif’s wallet will be received on Thursday, adding the public prosecutor would announce the decision on that basis.

Taking exception to TV reports which said the lab reports had already been received on Wednesday by the prosecutor, Dr Nasim said: “I have been constantly in contact with the officials concerned and nothing of this sort has happened.

“Today I spoke to Nadeem Akram (in Dubai) who informed me that no lab report was received by the prosecutor, but it is likely to be handed over to him on Thursday,” the chairman clarified.

He further said the Pakistan Embassy in Dubai has been fully cooperating with the PCB and, hopefully, Asif would come out unscathed from the case.

“The PCB is duty bound to help Asif until a final decision of the prosecutor is announced,” the chairman emphasised.

Asif was detained by the Dubai airport authorities on Sunday for allegedly carrying an illegal substance in his wallet. Sources also said that high-level efforts were on to get a smooth acquittal for the fast bowler.

Agencies add: Asif was tested by the World Anti Doping Authority (WADA) officials in Jaipur on the day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) semi-final, sources said on Wednesday.

Various players were tested at random for dope during the IPL tournament that ended on Sunday and the IPL officials were reportedly planning to submit Asif’s recent samples for re-analysis.

However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officials in Dubai refused to comment on the issue. “This is purely an internal matter of the PCB and is not related to any ICC event. The ICC cannot comment on this,” an official said.

Asif, who played for losing IPL semi-finalists Delhi Daredevils, was supposed to board the Indian Airlines flight from Delhi to Lahore on Saturday evening. But the Daredevils reached Delhi from Mumbai around 11pm on Saturday and by that time, it was too late for Asif to catch the Lahore flight. There were no direct flights for the next two days so he was booked on an Emirates flight to Dubai at 4am on Sunday and was supposed to fly to Lahore from there.

“Instead of going to a hotel for a few hours, he preferred to reach the Delhi international airport from the domestic terminal,” a source close to the cricketer said.

However, no one knows what Asif did in the interim period. “We are shocked to hear the news. In the dressing room, we have never seen him behaving abnormally. He is very friendly and I have never seen him take any pills during the entire IPL,” a Daredevils player said.