September 24, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 23, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 23: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif said on Tuesday he was anxiously waiting for a hearing before an Indian doping tribunal so he can get a chance to clear his name.

Asif, 25, faces a two-year ban after he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone during the Indian Premier League (IPL) competition held between April and June this year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspended him. His ‘B’ sample also tested positive in August, and since then he has been waiting for a hearing before a three-member tribunal set up by the IPL.

“I am anxiously waiting to put my case before the IPL tribunal because I want to get my name cleared and return to where I belong — cricket grounds,” Asif said.

Asif added that discrepancies in the level of nandrolone in the two samples (6.2 nanograms per millilitre in the A sample and 5.4 in the ‘B’ sample) could help him.

“I am confident that I will get cleared on the basis of discrepancies in the quantity, but the first thing is to get a hearing where I could prove myself,” he added.

The tribunal, comprising former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, doctor Ravi Bapat and lawyer Shirish Gupte, asked Asif to appear on Aug 30, but the paceman asked them to push it back.

Any ban would be imposed by the IPL. The decision of the body, which is under the aegis of the International Cricket Council (ICC), would apply to both national and international cricket.

But Asif said that since the postponement he had not heard from the IPL.

Asif’s lawyer Shahid Karim said he had sent a reminder to the IPL but there had been no reply.

Asif, who is in Karachi to play club cricket, said he wants to play for Pakistan as soon as possible.

“I have already missed a lot of cricket,” stated Asif, who along with fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar also tested positive for the same substance in 2006.

He was then banned for one year and Shoaib for two, but the bans were overturned on appeal.

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

Asif said the last few months have been frustrating for him.

“My whole career has suffered badly in the last few months and once I return I will make sure that no untoward incident happens again,” he said.

The IPL tribunal will study the issue and take a decision in accordance with the International Cricket Council’s anti-doping code.

Asif has played 11 Tests and 31 one-day matches for Pakistan since making his debut in Australia in early 2005.—AFP