Asif fails to prove he left UAE on own accord

The Pakistan fast bowler is unable to provide documents to prove he was not deported last year for possessing opium.

ISLAMABAD // The Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif has failed to meet a deadline to prove he was not deported from the United Arab Emirates last year for possessing opium. Asif, 26, had previously told a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) inquiry, headed by Wasim Bari, that he left on his own accord after being detained for 19 days in Dubai last June when 0.24 grams of opium were found in his wallet at the airport.

However, Bari said that Asif had failed to provide documents by a June 1 deadline to prove he was not deported. "Asif appeared before the committee today but could not give us any proof against deportation," Bari said. "Now, we are going to give our recommendations to the Pakistan Cricket Board." If Asif was deported, he would be unable to ever return to the UAE, where Pakistan could set up as their home venue for matches due to the fears of player security in their own country.

Bari refused to elaborate on what possible penalty Asif could face. "I can't say much on this because we are going to give our recommendations to the PCB and it's up to them to decide," Bari added. Asif was banned for a year by the Indian Premier League in September for testing positive for nandrolone during the tournament. The PCB had initially planned to consider Asif for national selection once his ban is over, but later formed a committee to investigate his UAE detention.

In 2006, Asif was suspended for a year by the PCB after testing positive for nandrolone, but the ban was overturned on appeal. The fast bowler has taken 51 wickets in 11 Tests, and claimed 36 dismissals from 31 one-day internationals. *AP