August 20, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 17, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 19: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif is facing a two-year ban from cricket after his ‘B’ sample tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old tested positive during the Indian Premier League (IPL) competition held between April and June, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspended him in July on the basis of his first sample.

“We have just completed the test on Asif’s ‘B’ sample and it has come back positive,” his lawyer Shahid Karim told AFP by telephone from Switzerland.

“But I can tell you that the quantity of nandrolone has varied, which we can contest. We hope to further this case once we get an official test report from the IPL.”

He said the ‘A’ sample contained a concentration of 6.2 nanograms per millilitre of urine, while the ‘B’ sample contained 5.4.

The World Anti-Doping-Agency (WADA) regulations state that if a player is found to have a concentration greater than two nanograms of nandrolone per millilitre, the sportsperson may be banned.

Asif, who has played 11 Tests and 31 one-day matches, said he was confident that the discrepancy would help him.

“I am confident of getting out of this mess,” said Asif, regarded as one of the best talents at the international level. “Both my lawyer and medical experts are confident that we can fight this case and come out clean.”

Asif added that he was desperate to get back on the cricket pitch.

“The last few months have been upsetting and I want to put them behind me,” he stated.

Asif first tested positive for nandrolone in 2006 along with fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar. He was banned for one year and Shoaib for two, but the bans were overturned on appeal.

Separately, Asif also faces a possible ban or fine from the PCB after he was detained in Dubai, while returning from the IPL competition, on charges of possessing an illegal drug. He was held for 19 days before police deported him.

The matter will now be taken up by the IPL’s drugs tribunal, which will study the issue and take a decision in accordance with the International Cricket Council’s anti-doping code.—AFP