Pakistani pacers hit by drug ban

A two-year ban on Shoaib Akhtar and one-year ban on Mohammad Asif was imposed today by The Pakistan Cricket Board, after the two cricketers tested positive for drug tests.

31-year-old Akhtar, and 23-year-old Asif were last month recalled by the PCB from the limited-overs ICC Champion Trophy in India for making use of the banned steroid Nandrolone.

"We have banned Shoaib Akhtar from playing international and domestic cricket for two years, and Mohammed Asif has been banned for one year for playing international or domestic cricket," Shahid Hamid, a doping tribunal chief said in a news conference at the cricket board's headquarters in Lahore.

Alleging that Akhtar and Asif were unable to defend themselves against the charges Hamid said that they can file appeals to the tribunal within the next seven days. Under the regulations of the cricket board, the International Cricket Council and the World Anti-Doping Agency minimum punishment had been imposed by the tribunal on the two cricketers. "We were helpless and our hands were tied," said Hamid.

The ban will prevent the two fast-bowlers to play in the World Cup to be held in the Caribbean in March-April, 2007.

A shorter punishment was imposed on Asif because unlike Shoaib, he did not have much knowledge about the use of performance enhancing drugs. Hamid added, “Asif stopped using them when his physiotherapist asked him to do so.”

Akhtar, who is fondly called as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, lived up to his nickname. This top pacer from Pakistan intimidated the best of the batsmen in the world after he was officially declared the world’s fastest bowler. It is possible that the two year ban handed to him by the PCB derails his career permanently.