KARACHI, June 9: Mohammad Asif could be in for more trouble after he returns home from detention in Dubai as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to suspend the embattled pacer and institute an inquiry against him under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.

Asif was detained in Dubai on June 1 for alleged drug possession on his way to Lahore after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf on Monday said the board would carry out an inquiry against Asif once he returns home.

“It is too early to say anything but yes our anti-doping regulations are now compliant with WADA and in this particular case also we have to follow their regulations,” he said.

“We are hopeful he will be released and allowed to return home but since it is an incident involving drugs, no matter how small the quantity, he could be suspended from playing cricket until the inquiry is conducted against him,” he added.

The PCB chairman said the board has used all legal and diplomatic channels to get Asif back home.

“I don’t know if they will decide to deport him or just send him back home. But at the moment our first priority is that he is cleared of this case which is bad for Pakistan cricket,” the PCB chief said.

“Our lawyer and official met with Asif in detention and he is keeping his spirits high but obviously this matter cannot end immediately,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources close to PCB said the board and even the ICC had begun to review their anti-doping regulations and code of conduct to confirm what scenario they could possibly face once Asif is released by the Dubai police.

“The issue here is while the PCB anti-doping regulations clearly cover the use of banned performance enhancing drugs but in many ways their regulations remain silent on what happens if a player is found using recreational drugs even in small quantity specially if he is not on national duty,” one source said.

The source added that the ICC was also in a fix on the matter as it is a signatory to the WADA charter which discourages and bans the use of illegal substances, drugs and even recreational drugs.

Meanwhile, Asif continued to languish in detention, with the authorities on Monday not taking any decision on whether to try the Pakistani pacer for alleged possession of contraband drugs in court. Senior PCB official Nadeem Akram, rushed by the PCB to bail out the pacer, said on Monday that he was yet to hear anything from the lawyers representing Asif.

It was also learnt through local UAE sources that Asif’s lawyers have sought a meeting with the Dubai Attorney General.—Agencies